by Alan Feiler, Editor-in-Chief | Nov 18, 2019 | Community, Gallery ONLY, Religion
It was a homecoming celebration that no in-town shul has experienced in quite a while. Last Sunday morning, Nov. 17, Beth Am Synagogue officially marked the completion of the nearly yearlong renovation of its historic Reservoir Hill home with a rededication ceremony.... read more
by JTA | Nov 15, 2019 | International, News, Religion
By Marcus M. Gilban At 91, Holocaust survivor Andor Stern no longer fears the Nazis who imprisoned him in Auschwitz. Today, Stern — who lives in his native Sao Paulo, Brazil’s largest metropolitan area of nearly 25 million people — says what scares him... read more
by Rabbi Chai Posner | Nov 14, 2019 | Community, Religion, Spirituality
“Tithe if you love Jesus, any fool can honk.” I recently saw this bumper sticker, and though I certainly don’t connect to the “Jesus” part, I thought the line was succinct and powerful. Honking doesn’t show love; honking is easy. Tithing takes time, money and... read more
by Rabbi Daniel Cotzin Burg | Oct 30, 2019 | Community, Religion, Spirituality
A key Jewish value is k’vod habriot, honor afforded by us to all human beings. It’s common for social justice-minded people to seek out opportunities for justice. As the Torah instructs: “Justice, justice you shall pursue” (Deut. 16:20). But sometimes, justice can... read more
by Peter Arnold | Oct 17, 2019 | Community, Gallery ONLY, Religion
As the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, Laurie Goodwin says it was important to her that her sons, Samuel, 4, and Jacob, 2, celebrate the festival of Sukkot with members of their community. “It means the world to me to have this sukkah at my house,” said the... read more
by Deborah Walike | Oct 11, 2019 | Community, Community Resources, Religion, Spirituality
The Holocaust is arguably the most documented event in human history. But most people don’t know that Jews and non-Jews in Europe frequently enjoyed good relations prior to the rise of Hitler and the Nazi regime. Daniel Mendelsohn wants to change that perception. On... read more
by Rabbi Joyce Newmark | Oct 3, 2019 | Community, High Holidays, Religion
For nearly 50 years, my father had a best friend named Al. They grew up in the same neighborhood in Brooklyn, N.Y., and after returning home from World War II, they each married and moved to the same Long Island town and opened related businesses. They were closer... read more
by Kylie Ora Lobell | Sep 27, 2019 | Community, Religion
The first time I celebrated Yom Kippur, I was not yet a Jew. In fact, I wouldn’t become a Jew until five years later, when I dipped into the mikvah and completed my Orthodox conversion process. I had never fasted, so I ate way too much during the pre-fast meal and... read more
by Alan Feiler, Editor-in-Chief | Sep 26, 2019 | Community, News, Religion
When Bruce Radleigh Eicher was recruited to fill in for a colleague at Beth El’s High Holiday services, Rabbi Jacob B. Agus was the Pikesville synagogue’s spiritual leader and John F. Kennedy was president of the United States. Eicher recently retired from Beth El... read more
by Rabbi Dena Shaffer | Sep 19, 2019 | Community, Religion, Spirituality
You’re likely familiar with the famous aphorism by 1st-century sage Rabbi Hillel: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, what am I? If not now, when?” In many Jewish circles, this text is used to underscore the religious... read more
Read the latest views and thoughts from Jmore Publisher Scott Rifkin, MD 