Israel, Jewish Community, Rabbis “A genuine, spiritually and theologically grounded, rabbinic voice is missing from the American Jewish community’s Israel conversation” Author Drew Kaplan Date 27 May 2015 Rabbinic talk is not political talk. Political does not mean partisan. Political talk focuses...
Jewish, Synagogues “This ‘failure to communicate’ doesn’t strengthen synagogue life; instead, it encourages more members to leave the synagogue complaining about the lack of relevancy to their own lives” Author Drew Kaplan Date 15 May 2015 On each Shabbat, many worshipers open their siddurim and proceed through the service with...
Jewish Community “Unlike staid practice sessions of old, these promise flowing alcohol, macho food and male bonding along with some religious instruction, although that last one can get a bit lost at some of the events” Author Drew Kaplan Date 7 May 2015 Held a few days before the holiday, the “mock Seder” or “Steak ‘n Seder,”...
Jewish Community, Jewish Organizations “It is our duty to do our utmost in restoring physical health, but it is sinful to ignore the most essential requirement of being a person…” Author Drew Kaplan Date 20 April 2015 We care for the mentally retarded; what about the spiritually retarded? We extend relief...
Israel, Jews, Jews in America “There is a dramatic imbalance between the way Jews perceive themselves and the ways we are perceived by others” Author Drew Kaplan Date 13 March 2015 There is a dramatic imbalance between the way Jews perceive themselves and the ways...
Jews in America “The aspects of secular Jewish culture that America has embraced are barely Jewish anymore…” Author Drew Kaplan Date 12 March 2015 …as Jews have moved fully into the cultural mainstream, it’s become harder to identify...
Israel, Jews in America, Young Adults “…the relevance of Israel to the younger generation of American Jews is not self-evident…” Author Drew Kaplan Date 9 March 2015 Jewish students on campus do not need heavily curated fact-sheets or pro-Israel YouTube videos...
Israel, Jewish, Jewish Community, Jews in America “…American Judaism seemed to be emerging from its hyper-political phase, the post-Holocaust, post-1967 era…” Author Drew Kaplan Date 2 March 2015 The mini (and short lived) spiritual explosion… took place in the 90’s, the era...
Jewish Community “We have been living on yesterday’s fumes for too long” Author Drew Kaplan Date 25 February 2015 We have been living on yesterday’s fumes for too long. Old fashioned anti-anti-Semitism, unrealistic...
Israel, Jews in America In the 1990s, “the relative ordinariness of Israel left room for other topics – and spirituality made the most sense” Author Drew Kaplan Date 23 February 2015 The mini (and short lived) spiritual explosion… took place in the 90’s, the era...