Right down the road from Ruth Newstock’s home in Memphis, Tennessee, a nearby church opens its doors every Tuesday night during the winter months so those who are homeless can have a hot meal and warm place to sleep. Given her cheery, friendly personality, it’s no surprise that when a friend asked Ruth if she wanted to volunteer one evening, she quickly accepted the offer. At that time, as a soon-to-be 12 year old,...
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Purim celebrates the bravery of a young woman named Esther who was chosen to be the wife of King Ahasuerus of Persia. When the King’s adviser, Haman, persuades him to kill all the Jews in the empire, Queen Esther’s cousin and adopted father, Mordecai, calls on her to use her influence and stop the plan. The tale is told in the Book of Esther, known as the Megillah, and ends with Haman’s hanging and the Jewish people saved...
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Conservative rabbis give their take on the question: Is it okay for Jews to not believe in God? Rabbi Eric Woodward, Tiferet Bet Israel in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania: “That’s not an easy question! First, what does ‘okay’ mean? Does it mean, ‘Are you still Jewish if you do not believe in God?’ Or does it mean, ‘Is belief in God a mitzvah and disbelief a sin?’ Second, what does it mean to ‘believe in’ somethin...
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Ask any travel guide the must-see places to visit during a spring break trip to Israel and you might hear suggestions like the Western Wall, Tower of David, Yad Vashem, Masada or Independence Hall. While there’s good reason these rank among Israel’s top attractions, there’s more to the Holy Land than meets the average tourist eye. Siblings Brandon and Lily have both experienced Israel through USCJ’s Nativ college leade...
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For the 28 athletes who represented Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic, an international 16-team tournament held once every four years, it was never just about the game of baseball. Even when the team, which entered the tournament ranked 41st in the world and were dubbed “MLB wannabes and has-beens”, defeated then-3rd in the world South Korea in the opening game in Seoul, followed by three straight wins agai...
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