By Rabbi Ted Falcon, Bel Alef Meditative Synagogue Spiritual teachings sometimes flow from the most unlikely sources. One of my teachers this year has been Margo. I don’t actually know Margo. I’ve never seen her, never met her, and never will. Yet I often listen to her at crucial momentsContinue Reading
By Joel Magalnick, Karen Chachkes , Sparked by reaction to an editorial cartoon appearing in the last issue of JTNews, our editorial committee met for a lively conversation. We discussed the cartoon specifically, and the larger issues we consider when developing content for our “Page 3″ (and beyond) ViewpointsContinue Reading
By Rabbi Jacob Fine, Hillel at UW The air has become crisp with the smell of fall, and with the change in season comes the reminder that the High Holy Days are again upon us. Somehow, despite the fact that Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur arrive at the same timeContinue Reading
By Rivy Poupko Kletenik, JTNews Columnist Dear Rivy: Thinking about the rapidly approaching High Holiday season, it dawned on me that Rosh Hashanah is very different than all the other holidays. The other holidays are very Jewish days, in that they commemorate singularly Jewish events, moments in Jewish history. ButContinue Reading
By Diana Brement, JTNews Columnist Standing on a beach, or a bluff overlooking the ocean, we are impressed by the power of crashing waves, and opening our electric or gas bill we are distressed by the cost of powering our lives. Alla Weinstein came up with a way to linkContinue Reading
By David Benkof , Special to JTNews Jews often complain that prayer is boring. Young people resist going to synagogue — and older people drift away from prayer altogether — because they find it to be a chore. In response to this claim, Rabbi Harold Schulweis, perhaps the longest-tenured pulpitContinue Reading
By Rabbi Anson Laytner, American Jewish Committee Twentieth-century America was the era of civil rights. The National American Woman Suffrage Association was formed in 1890 by the merger of several smaller predecessors. In 1906, a group of German Jewish Americans came together to advocate on behalf of Russian Jewish pogromContinue Reading
By Philip R. Scheier , , Shoreline There are growing questions surrounding the real sponsorship of the deceptive anti-Israel I-97 petition being peddled by for-hire signature gatherers merely as an “anti-war petition.” For many, there seems to be the stench of oil money permeating this so-called petition. Basically, what thisContinue Reading
By Rivy Poupko Kletenik, JTNews Columnist Dear Rivy, Growing up, our home was, for lack of better words, very pessimistic. The approach to everything was always negative and foreboding. I have tried very hard to get beyond this way of thinking and to rise above it. Something inside me hasContinue Reading
By Rabbi Harry Zeitlin , Congregation Beth Ha’Ari As the rhythm of the Jewish year flows from past setbacks, failures and disasters typified by Tisha B’Av to looking forward to Rosh Hashanah and the promise of the future, I personally find it a lot “easier” to accept that things haveContinue Reading
By The Board of Rabbis , Va’ad HaRabbanim of Greater Seattle , The Va’ad policies for produce checking were formulated after months of investigation and collecting data concerning locally available produce. Our mashgichim, who were specially trained to check produce, checked the produce on a daily basis and kept recordsContinue Reading
By George Guttmann , , Seattle Your recent article about I-97 (“Taking initiative,” July 25) classified the opponents of this initiative as “pro Israel,” suggesting that all those who support I-97 are anti-Israel. While I don’t like I-97 for a number of reasons, I also find your characterization of itsContinue Reading
By , Upon hearing of the break-in at Havurat Ee Shalom, the heart of Vashon and Maury Islands’ small Jewish community, the editor at the island’s local paper, The Beachcomber, decided to do something more than report on the incident. If you travel the roads of the townContinue Reading
By Lawernce Black , Maccabi Arms , Reno, Nev. The purpose of our [gun sales] ad appearing in the JTNews at the time of the Haq trial was precisely to offer your readers the option of defending themselves against evil people and criminals who have guns (duh!). This right, ofContinue Reading
By Rabbi Mark S. Glickman, Congregations Kol Ami and Kol Shalom How shall we sing God’s song in a foreign land? — Psalms 137:2 When I was growing up in the 1970s, the Judaism my classmates and I learned was very different from the Judaism many of our students learnContinue Reading
By David Rosen , JTA News & Features MADRID (JTA) — When King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia announced his intention some three months ago to reach out to the leaders of the main religions of the world to convene an interfaith dialogue and to work together to address major globalContinue Reading
By Sen. Adam Kline , Special to JTNews One of the biggest warning signs surrounding Initiative 97, the “Divest from War and Occupation” measure, is that it is being promoted deceptively. It purports to be an anti-Iraq War measure, but frequently omitted from the signature-gatherers’ spiel is the provision thatContinue Reading
By Keith Ljunghammar , , Seattle Your newspaper looks very interesting, but the article from the last publication (“Taking initiatve,” July 25) was disheartening. I do not see why any true American can say “no” to supporting Israel. I-97 and the City of Seattle pension fund not including Israel companyContinue Reading
By Rivy Poupko Kletenik, JTNews Columnist Dear Rivy, I am so deeply disturbed by the faces of the people in Lebanon cheering the return of the terrorist Samir Kuntar. I cannot fathom celebrating a person who murdered innocent children. I wonder if this decision of the Israeli government was theContinue Reading
By Rabbi Jacob Izakson , Temple Beth Shalom, Spokane On May 12, a 98-year-old lady named Irena Sendler passed away in Warsaw, Poland. During World War II, Irena obtained permission to work in the Warsaw Ghetto as a plumbing/sewer specialist. She had an ulterior motive. Irena knew what the Nazis’Continue Reading
