Are We Maccabees? Hanukkah in a Time of Conflict
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.
For four years, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has equated Jews with the Israeli government, while U.S. President Donald Trump has made common cause with white nationalists. I wish more Israelis understood why this was so terrifying.

This family history teaches us about mid-20th-century American Jews and white privilege.

A story hidden from Jewish historians and others who think about what being Jewish means and meant.

It displays an ignorance of the causes of Black terror.

A play, written by two products of Reconstructing Judaism, calls to us to speak across generational differences.

Mrs. Noah rebukes Noah for favoring elite power-hoarders over fellows facing ecological disaster.

The Jewish Earth Alliance advocacy day is scheduled for Tu Bishvat.