Posts tagged Judaism
From Underdog To Icon: The Enduring Legacy Of Jewish Soccer Star Rinus Israel

(ANALYSIS) Although he remains little known beyond the country of his birth, Rinus Israël, who died July 1 in the Netherlands at age 83, was one of history’s great Jewish soccer players. In 1970, as captain of Feyenoord, Israël was the first Dutchman — and the first Jew — to lift the European Cup (the equivalent of today’s Champions League trophy).

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Heavenly Heroes: The Surprising Revival Of Superman And Christian Faith

(ANALYSIS) Are Superman and Jesus headed for an American revival? For better or worse, people’s love of Superman and devotion to God have always been tightly fused. Whether this will lead to a long-term revival for both or just a short-term connection remains to be seen. For now, a lot more people are looking up to the heavens than were before.  

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The Humor In Our Eyes: How Laughter Heals More Than Vision

(OPINION) When was the last time you laughed in order to cope with some personal or social situation? 10 minutes ago? Today? Yesterday? Laughter can be a most effective coping medicine. In that way, laughter is an important spirituality tool. In many cultures, it always has been.

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Jewish Couples Adapting Their Weddings To Celebrate Gender Equality

(ANALYSIS) Modern values have transformed many Jewish couples’ weddings, just as they have transformed the Christian wedding. Some Jewish couples make many changes, while some make none. And like every faith, Judaism has lots of internal diversity — not all traditional Jewish weddings look the same.

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America’s Founders And The Quran: A Forgotten Legacy Of Religious Freedom

At a time when the Trump administration has renewed a travel ban on various Muslim majority countries in Africa and across the Middle East, the Quran owned by John Adams is but one indication that our nation’s founders regarded Islam — as well as other, non-Western, non-Christian faiths — as worthy of respect and protection under the law.

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Puppets And Peace: One Woman’s Mission To Make Jewish Culture Joyful For All

If Jim Henson and Fred Rogers could connect with kids through puppets, why couldn’t Shlomit Tripp? “It’s really important that these kids understand that being Jewish is also fun,” Tripp said. “It’s not only the Shoah or this dry religion sitting in a synagogue and being bored.” Regardless of background, all appeared enthralled before Tripp’s colorful creations and exaggerated voices.

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The Dangers Of Religious Nationalism In Global Conflict

(ANALYSIS) Whatever one’s position in a conflict, certain actions cannot be justified. Targeting civilians, destroying essential services, blocking aid, using civilian areas for military purposes or punishing entire populations for the acts of a few are all violations of international law and human conscience.

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Why Some See An Ancient Biblical Enemy In Iran

(ANALYSIS) Described in the Bible as the first nation to attack the Israelites after the Exodus, the Amalekites came to symbolize a recurring evil: Not merely one that seeks to harm the Jewish people, but one bent on their erasure. Across the centuries, Jewish thinkers have mapped this archetype onto real-world threats. Some are asking: Should Iran be added to that list?

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Knitting Faiths Together: Using Art And Yarn To Grow Dialogue Between Religions

Exploring interfaith dialogue using knitting is the surprising theme of a new touring event taking place around the United Kingdom. It all started when Canadian actor and artist Kirk Dunn developed a passion for knitting. The result is an interfaith look at society, how faith can bring people together for a unique show and the “commonalities and conflicts between the three Abrahamic faiths.”

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Israel’s Political Battle Over The Drafting Of Yeshiva Students

Many Jews are outraged that while the war in Gaza has been raging since Oct. 7, 2023 and they have suffered many casualties and interruptions to their civilian life in response to repeated reserve duty call-ups, their able-bodied ultra-Orthodox fellow citizens have not shared the defense burden. The IDF faces shortages, needing approximately 12,000 new recruits, including 7,000 combat soldiers.

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Why Are Christian influencers Promoting Mezuzahs?

(ANALYSIS) There’s a new TikTok trend for Christian influencers: Gluing a small, rectangular box with a scroll inside, marked with a cross, that observers can nail to their door frames. Available to buy on TikTok shop, the boxes — called “Grace Marks” — come in gray-marbled white as well as a “terrazzo” confetti-flecked version.

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Man Arrested After Attack On Jewish Group In Colorado Leaves 12 Injured

Police say there are eight victims ages 52 to 88 who were hospitalized with burns, and another four who suffered minor injuries. The victims were part of Run for Their Lives, a weekly vigil and march for Israeli captives who remain held by Hamas.

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The Good, The Bad And The Meshuggeneh: Jews In Hollywood’s Wild West

When you think about Jewish contributions to the world of entertainment, your mind probably immediately goes to comedies, sci-fi and musicals. But there’s another genre rich with Jewish history: Westerns. In the new book “Chai Noon: Jews and the Cinematic Wild West,” scholar Jonathan Friedmann examines Jewish figures and themes in Western film, dating back to Hollywood’s first feature-length film. “The Squaw Man,” released in 1914.

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Belief, Belonging And Practice: Burge’s New Book Maps Religion In Modern America

(REVIEW) It’s been said, “You may not care about politics, but politics cares about you.” The same is true of religion. If you want to better understand your neighbors — and the cultural and political forces shaping America — “The American Religious Landscape” is the primer you’ve been looking for. Despite all the data, it’s also a book that does not disappoint.

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A New Book Attempts To Restore The Girl Behind The ‘Many Lives’ Of Anne Frank

(REVIEW) “The Many Lives of Anne Frank” is trenchant, elegant and relevant — beautifully written, almost like a novel. Franklin achieves the seemingly impossible: Allowing the reader to see the flesh-and-blood Anne — complex, rambunctious, talkative, critical, acerbic, funny and vivacious — rather than the homogenized and sentimentalized figure enshrined in pop culture.

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‘Bad Shabbos’ A Funny Movie That Covers Familiar Territory For Jewish Comedies

(REVIEW) While “Bad Shabbos” is very funny, little about it really breaks new ground, as it primarily leans on the classic tropes and themes of a Jewish “meet the parents” comedy. The movie also has some tonal awkwardness between the relatively grounded characters and dialogue mixed with its rather unbelievable farcical premise and series of escalating decisions. 

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Shooting Suspect Killed ‘For Gaza’ — But His Victims Were Peace Advocates

The man who allegedly walked up to two Israeli embassy staffers and shot them dead Wednesday night reportedly told eyewitnesses he “did it for Gaza.” The event those staffers had just left at the Capital Jewish Museum highlighted an organization that supplied aid to Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war. And his victims had made peace-building central to their work.

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2 Israeli Embassy Staffers Killed In DC ‘Free Palestine’ Attack

Two Israeli embassy staffers were shot and killed outside an event in Washington, D.C., around 9 p.m. Wednesday, according to local and federal officials, by a suspect who appeared to target them in what many Jewish leaders are calling an antisemitic attack. The shooting took place following an American Jewish Committee event for young Jewish professionals and diplomats at the Capital Jewish Museum.

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Ye’s Antisemitism And Pro-Nazi Views Are Old News — But It’s Time To Pay Attention Again

(ANALYSIS) When the hip-hop artist formerly known as Kanye West went on his first antisemitic tirade, some opined that we should ignore it. Why give more gas to the fire? It was a different time; the platform the musician was posting his rants on was still called Twitter and he had just begun to use the name Ye. In the current context, it seems to have taken on more importance.

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