Israel, Middle East “We seem to take for granted that Arab countries can’t catch up to Israel on the freedom front, but isn’t that the bigotry of low expectations?” Author Drew Kaplan Date 16 December 2014 Imagine if the young people who risked their lives protesting during the long-gone Arab...
Rabbis “The rabbinate is a lonely vocation” Author Drew Kaplan Date 16 December 2014 The rabbinate is a lonely vocation. From the moment a person announces the intention...
Halakhah “The Torah obligation for two witnesses was never how Jewish society operated” Author Drew Kaplan Date 15 December 2014 The Torah obligation for two witnesses was never how Jewish society operated. As has...
Entertainment, Ideas “Be very careful with the students that are sent to the office because one day you will have to go see them in their office” Author Drew Kaplan Date 15 December 2014 “My father, of blessed memory, was an educator, and he told me to be...
America “We Americans have never been all that comfortable with patriarchy in the strict sense of the word…” Author Drew Kaplan Date 12 December 2014 We Americans have never been all that comfortable with patriarchy in the strict sense...
Movies, New Testament “…it’s possible for a popular narrative to be susceptible to an allegorical reading and still be engaging mostly for its spectacle…” Author Drew Kaplan Date 12 December 2014 …it’s possible for a popular narrative to be susceptible to an allegorical reading and...
Conservative Judaism “Fewer than eight years ago, Conservative doctrine stated that homosexual behavior was antithetical to Jewish law…” Author Drew Kaplan Date 11 December 2014 Fewer than eight years ago, Conservative doctrine stated that homosexual behavior was antithetical to...
Israel Behind Israel’s “phenomenal success is a restless culture of self-criticism and responsibility that keeps the country on its toes and propels it forward” Author Drew Kaplan Date 11 December 2014 It’s not a coincidence that Israel is a global leader in scientific and cultural...
Jews “While his return of the money was definitely a kiddush ha-shem, I think that his speech has the potential to be a hillul ha-shem, nullifying the kiddush ha-shem” Author Drew Kaplan Date 10 December 2014 Recently, the news was awash with the great kiddush ha-shem performed by Rabbi Noah...
Rabbis Rabbinic “work demands constant emotional output that leaders cannot provide unless they are in touch with their own feelings” Author Drew Kaplan Date 10 December 2014 How do we prepare and support our rabbis to juggle these multiple roles? Some...