By:
On:
In: Rabbi's Turn, Viewpoints

By Rabbi Levi Backman, Chabad of Whatcom County “My Lord, do not pass from before Your servant.” — Genesis 18:3 Our sages explain the above verse as Avraham addressing God Himself, asking Him to wait while Avraham welcomed his guests — the angels he saw passing by in the desert.Continue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Rabbi Ephraim Schwartz, Director, West Seattle Torah Learning Center, I was hurt and saddened by the letter to the editor in your last edition (Oct. 5) from Dr. Noah Friedland, and by his accusations and innuendo that the Kollel, and therefore myself as a rabbi and employee of theContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Ken Leibert, , Seattle I have lived in the Seward Park area for 10 years. My wonderful wife Marilyn Leibert works for the Seattle Kollel. Our family has supported it and enjoyed its programs for years. We attend congregation Bikur Cholim-Machzikay Hadath. We have three children who have attendedContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Elisheva Miriam Stone, , Brooklyn, NY I would like to respond to the letter from Dr. Noah Friedland (Letters, Oct. 5). As a former Seattle/Seward Park resident (soon to be again, God willing) I enjoyed the unity aspect in Seattle/Seward Park/Western Washington. My rabbi is the Ashkenazic rabbi ofContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Robert Stagman, , Mercer Island The JTNews review of David Klinghoffer’s latest book, Shattered Tablets: Why We Ignore the Ten Commandments at Our Peril (“Touring Seattle’s moral landscape,” Oct. 5), including copious quotes from the author, reveals Mr. Klinghoffer to be a person of remarkable arrogance and chutzpah. FromContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Rabbi Jonathan Singer, Temple Beth Am, Seattle I am thankful for the coverage of our fabulous new K’hilah center. It is a beautiful addition to the greater Seattle Jewish community. However I want to clarify one thing: as a student of Mordecai Kaplan who taught that Judaism is aContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Hilary G. Bernstein, Interim Regional Director, Pacific Northwest Region, Anti-Defamation League, I was dismayed to read the letter from Faith Tapper (Sept. 21), in which she claimed that no one at ADL had responded to her discrimination complaints following Rob Jacobs’ departure from the Seattle office in August 2007.Continue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Dr. Noah Friedland, , Seattle Not all change is for the better. The Seattle Kollel and its acolytes represent a foothold in our city for a dangerous brand of Haredi Judaism that those of us who have been fortunate to live in Israel are very well acquainted with. AnyoneContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Rabbi's Turn, Viewpoints

By Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum, Herzl-Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation In my summer visit to Washington, D.C., I began to reflect on the parallels between American and Jewish history. Both civilizations have seen their ideas evolve over time. American freedom has taken shape in stages. In 1789 came the revolutionary idea ofContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Josh Basson , , Seattle Ron Kampeas’s insightful column was quite informative (“In no one’s interest,” Aug 24.) Kampeas states that the “the Palestinian people need decent governance first, as a prerequisite for statehood” according to Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani rightly points out that “too much emphasis has been placedContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Linda J. Clifton, Regional Chair, Pacific Northwest Chapter, Anti-Defamation League, Last issue’s JTNews carried three letters of appreciation for the pivotal leadership of Rob Jacobs, our former ADL regional director, in broadening the Jewish community’s dialogue with each other — especially the dialogue about how we each support Israel,Continue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Norman Levin, , Mercer Island Put me squarely on the side of Daniel Pipes, director of the Middle East Forum, who has strongly criticized Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, for his “profoundly ignorant and terribly superficial” speech to the Islamic Society of North AmericaContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Rabbi's Turn, Viewpoints

By Rabbi Michael Adam Latz, Kol HaNeshamah Progressive Congregation Jewish tradition teaches us of the importance of t’shuvah, turning our lives anew toward God and asking forgiveness for the wrongs we have committed. Our Yom Kippur liturgy teaches that for transgressions against the Eternal One, we are forgiven. But forContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Faith Tapper, , Seattle When I saw in the JTNews that Rob Jacobs had resigned from the Anti-Defamation League, I was very worried. A year ago, I’d turned to the ADL for help when I was nearly fired when I insisted on taking off from work on Rosh Hashanah.Continue Reading

By:
On:
In: Opinion, Viewpoints

By Daniel Hemel , JTA News & Features OXFORD, England (JTA) – Long before Larry Craig pleaded guilty to “disorderly conduct,” American Jewish groups harbored serious doubts about the Idaho Republican. In June 1990, when Craig, then a congressman, was running for an open Senate seat, The Jerusalem Post bemoanedContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Rabbi's Turn, Viewpoints

By Rabbi Jill Borodin, Congregation Beth Shalom How does one prepare for the High Holy Days? Cooking, shopping, buying new clothes, extending invitations, sending cards, wishing shana tova. And on a spiritual level, how do we prepare? Our daily morning prayers offer us guidance. At the end of services forContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Jeremy D. Sher, , Seattle I’d like to appreciate Rob Jacobs’s impact as head of our regional ADL. As a Zionist peacenik, I experienced first-hand the pivotal role Rob played in bridging difficult issues in our community. Through his levelheaded and magnanimous disposition, Rob welcomed a large group ofContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Barbara Lahav, , Mercer Island It was with great surprise and a heavy heart that I read of the unplanned departure of Rob Jacobs as the local Executive Director of the ADL. I want to publicly thank Rob for his devoted community work during his tenure at ADL. ItContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Rainer Waldman Adkins, Chairperson, Greater Seattle Chapter Brit Tzedek v’Shalom, Seattle As Rob Jacobs departs the position of Director for the Pacific Northwest Region of the Anti-Defamation League, the Greater Seattle Chapter of Brit Tzedek v’Shalom, which defines itself as “pro-Israel and pro-peace,” wishes to honor his pivotal roleContinue Reading

By:
On:
In: Letters, Viewpoints

By Phillip Klitzner, Owner, Nosh Away, Seattle Over the past few days, I understand that there has been a lot of negative feedback regarding the Jewish festival in relation to Nosh Away and other food vendors. I sincerely value the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and all of the workContinue Reading