JewsByChoice.Org

Shalom all! I don’t think this has been posted here on JBC yet, so I thought I’d take a quick second to spread the word a little more than I already have on this quick and fascinating little survey on Yiddish that is being run by Hebrew Union College (the Reform movement’s seminary). It also [...]

In some ways, there’s never been a better time to be Orthodox.  For those who don’t fancy living in Israel, there are many thriving Diaspora communities, especially in the U.S.  (Think not only New York, Chicago, and L.A, but also Boca Raton, Las Vegas, and Atlanta).  Day schools are being built all over, and kosher [...]

Cross-posted on True Ancestor
In a previous post, I’ve explored the ideas behind a book that looks at the cross-currents of genes, identity and values and tries to answer the question, “Who is a Jew?”
The answer, according to that post, and the book discussed therein, was “almost everyone.” A new and perhaps even more compelling book on [...]

“First Abayudaya Ugandan Ordained at Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies” this is the title of an article I just stumbled upon on the AJU website .  Gershom Sizomu is from Uganda.  His ancestors converted to Judaism less than 100 years ago.  The Jewish community in Uganda has quite an interesting story which you can read [...]

Years ago, when I belonged to a Reform synagogue in the U.S., I went to the rabbi’s weekly Torah study for adults on Sunday mornings. On one such morning, while waiting for the rabbi, the students began a conversation that eventually steered around to the Shoah (Holocaust). Never an easy phenomenon to contemplate [...]

Cross-posted on True Ancestor
 They said it couldn’t happen. Some are still saying it never did.
Many claim to have witnessed it, survived it, fought against it. They are heroes to many, but sometimes they are called fools, liars or worse by many others.
Every year, those who perished are commemorated. As the grass blushes over their anoymous graves, [...]

Hi All,
I originally wrote a pretty acidic post about Jimmy Carter’s recent groping of Hamas founder Khaled Meshaal in Damascus, but given the great job Chavi did in her recent post on being holy, I thought a post on a situation I’ve faced recently was in order. As many of you may be aware, [...]

Pesach is over now, and Israeli motorists have begun attaching Israeli flags to their cars in honor of Israel’s upcoming 60th birthday.
To honor the 60th anniversary of Israel’s independence, Britain’s chief rabbi, R’ Jonathan Sacks, has compiled a double CD of readings (read by R’ Sacks himself) and songs celebrating the millennia-old attachment of the [...]

In the past couple of weeks here in Israel, several stories have broken in the press about severe child abuse, including one here in Beit Shemesh.  There is a fine old saying that “The Jews are just like everyone else, only more so.”  God forbid.  But unfortunately, spousal and child abuse do occur within the [...]

There have been several articles in the press, as well as some brief discussions on this blog, about how to achieve a closer relationship between Israel and the Diaspora.  I’ve given this topic much thought, and have recorded the results below, limited by my experience and personal outlook.  I’m sure I’ve left out things, but [...]