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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Step into Stein Hall at Congregation Beth Yeshurun in Houston, Texas any fourth Thursday of the month and you might witness “Ann,” a 102-year-old African-American woman in a wheelchair mouthing the words to an old song being performed or moving her hands during tai chi. Or one of the other seniors who range in age from their 60s to 90s—like “David,” a war veteran who always sports his veteran’s baseball cap with a smile, ...
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The Bar/Bat Mitzvah is one of the greatest and most memorable milestones in the life of a Jew. In fact, the process and culminating celebration can be a real turning point that inspires pride in Jewish identity and heritage and a lifelong passion for Jewish learning and practice. However, some believe this is being lost to the increasingly lavish nature of Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebrations. Studies show the average cost of ...
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“You shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for a reminder between your eyes.” —Deuteronomy 6:8 Jewish men who perform tefillin—binding the boxes and straps onto their head and upper arm during prayer—may be doing more than creating a bond between the God who commands and the man who performs the powerful mitzvah. It could be good for the heart, too, says a study by researchers at the Uni...
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Add These 10 Jewish Films from 2018 to Your Queue For movie lovers across the country, the first few weeks in February are traditionally marked by a binge-watch of all the Oscar-nominated films in preparation for the big night—this year, on February 24th. As you plan your weekend viewing, here are some movies to consider adding to your queue. Read on for an article that was recently featured in Tablet magazine about Jewi...
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Seeing the sight of Israel slowly emerging from the mist on the horizon has remained deeply ingrained in Lee Lubarsky’s memory more than two decades after going on a six-week summer trip with USY in 1996 with other young Jews to Italy and Israel. The same goes for when he celebrated Shabbat next to Jerusalem’s landmark Montefiore Windmill and when they hiked along the iconic Masada Snake Path. “The trip was my first ti...
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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Legacy Continues to Inspire Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel appear alongside one another in some of the most iconic photographs of the 1960s American civil rights movement. They are together, arm in arm, crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, in 1965, and together again standing outside the Arlington Cemetery in Virg...
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Two Conservative rabbis give their take on this big life question: Why were we created? Rabbi Ari Kaiman, Congregation Shearith Israel in Atlanta, Georgia “When God created the universe through speech, God created us B’tzelem Elohim, in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). We were created to further the project of God’s creation. We further creation through our unique gift of human speech. We are able to see our ...
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