One of the remarkable features of the Jewish People is our incredible diversity. As we appreciate the "wholeness" of the Jewish People, we provide ourselves and our new generations with a sense of sharing in the grandness of the Jewish experience.
Since the end of
World War II, both in America and Israel, Jews
have been at odds with one another for political, ethnic, ideological,
religious and/or denominational reasons.
That different groups have divergent worldviews has been the case since
Biblical times. But the competing
factions today appear more hostile than ever before. The Orthodox -- particularly the
ultra-Orthodox with their high birth rates, expanding schools systems, and
Our communities will grow stronger in Torah observance and vibrancy with the introduction of mixed-gender communal and spiritual leadership models. We are fully aware that this is only the beginning of the conversation. We look forward to being in partnership with our larger community in thinking about these issues.
Living as an observant Jew in Israel is comfortable - almost too comfortable . The comfort level stems from the reality that Israel is, indeed, a Jewish state. Its culture, its calendar, its rhythm of life is fundamentally Jewish. These are the elements that express our national personality and which contribute to the feeli
To our members and friends,
The institution of yeshiva, or metivta, is a national Jewish treasure in which the soul of the nation resides, a source of living waters for the preservation of the Jewish nation in the form and character unique to it alone. It behooves us therefore to delve into the inner essence of the yeshiva (or metivta[1]) in order to understand its nature and composition, thus enabling us to promote its further development and perpetuation in that unique form that has no analogue among any other nation…..
This article begins with a brief history of the Syrian Jewish community and their settlement in New York in the twentiethcentury. As other Arab Jewish immigrants joined, this united group of people has come to be identified as the Sephardic community of Brooklyn.
I would challenge us to ask ourselves: Is a synagogue a social club or a spiritual home? Is Jewish education for teaching content and behavior—now bend here, now say this—or for imbuing children with the sense that we go in the presence of the Almighty, that He has gifted us the rule book to best play this game of life and tasked us with a life's mission?
No man is an island, entire of itself;
every man is a piece of the continent,