Are We Maccabees? Hanukkah in a Time of Conflict
December 9, 2024
The Maccabees, at least in their early days, were standard-bearers of the fundamentalist camp.
The Maccabees, at least in their early days, were standard-bearers of the fundamentalist camp.
I have come to value this holiday, precisely because of all the assimilationist pressures we face at this time of year.
This piece is taken from the dvar Torah delivered at the inaugural meeting of the Jews of Color and Allies Advisory group. As we begin to celebrate Hanukkah, I am comforted by the themes of creating light in the midst of darkness, rededication to the sacred and resisting assimilation. This
This piece was originally published at Ritualwell.org. In partnership with the podcast Hashivenu: Jewish teachings on resilience, created by Rabbi Deborah Waxman, we are highlighting rituals that have sustained the Jewish people throughout history. The fifth episode addresses social activism. Below are 18 rituals which address, inspire, and motivate social
Having faith in the power of an ethical/spiritual vision guides our action and activism toward revitalization, justice and compassion.
Why can’t religious leaders and institutions say, with clarity, that the grotesque violence against a trapped civilian population in Gaza is indefensible and wrong?
Consciousness of the fruitfulness of Earth was the major way of celebration in biblical times.
The kind of hope I want to lift up is a nuanced hope that recognizes pain and grief and nonetheless invites us to imagine a better future.
Reading a sacred text can put it on your heart, and then when your heart breaks, the holy words fall inside.
Chosenness, rightly understood, should make Jews more committed to the dignity and flourishing of non-Jews, not less.
Navigating our relationships to the current Israeli reality
Will current Israeli policies change what it means to be Jewish?
Reconstructionist Judaism is not for the fainthearted.
Conversations about combating antisemitism are often detached from broader conversations about racism, xenophobia and other forms of hatred.
How does Mussar practice work?
Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement
Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis
Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues
Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives
