If you have a machzor set, you should review the Pesach machzor before Passover begins. It’s very helpful. I began reviewing mine, and the introduction has a very interesting description of the three reactions people have to exile (galus/galut). As exile is an important theme of Pesach, I thought I would share two discussions of […]
News: Memorial Held for Convert Who Died Fighting for the Founding of Israel
“Today” (Already Wednesday in Israel), there is a memorial for a Jewish convert who died in the service of the Irgun in 1948. The Irgun was a “rogue” paramilitary force in Israel during the days of its founding. Learn your history! And who else but the Jews would manage to not even unite for self-defense […]
The Ideal Passover: Go Away!
With all the effort that goes into Pesach, the ideal plan is to not have to make that effort! Go away from home and let someone else do the hard work for you! There is big business in “kosher for Pesach” resorts in Mexico, Arizona, Florida, New York, Israel, and just about everywhere else Jews […]
What Is the Diaspora?
This post will be short and sweet. You’ll hear people frequently refer to “the Diaspora.” In short, that’s everywhere but Israel. Being in the Diaspora or not can affect holiday observances. Some holidays that are two days in the Diaspora are only one day in Israel because that’s how it’s supposed to be observed. This […]
News: Religious Services Minister Calls for Bill to Outlaw Non-Orthodox Judaism in Israel
Here’s a news story for you: Margi Calls for Law Against Non-Orthodox Movements. Just to be clear, no bill exists at this time. To give you the general idea, “To strengthen its status, Margi called for legislation making the Chief Rabbinate the supreme rabbinical institution in Israel and the world, and wants to move the rabbinate […]
News: Massacre in Israel
Since there is so much going on in Japan and Libya, it appears that a crime against humanity has flown under the news radar. My dad is a total news junkie, and if I know news he doesn’t, there is a problem. (My news sources are Facebook and Twitter. No TV for this girl for […]
Shabbat Shalom! The Good News Edition :)
I’ve been a bit of a negative Nancy lately, so here is some good conversion news for you: North American Rabbis Protest Conversion Policy. Sure, the rabbis have rallied to protect all orthodox converts’ rights to make aliyah, but I’m more skeptical that such a rabbinic “uprising” would happen as a way to pressure the […]
A Non-Orthodox Response to the Current Orthodox Conversion Issues
For those of you following the conversion/aliyah issues with Israel and the greater Jewish community, you may want to check out yesterday’s blog post at On the Fringe-Al Tzitzit, Conversion Crisis Update: the New Jewish “Papacy.” I won’t express an opinion on the content (or maybe my jury is still out?), but I did particularly […]
Update on Converts and Aliyah: Reviewing the Law of Return
Do you ever get tunnel vision? Apparently I do. And I did when I wrote Convert Questions: Converts and Aliyah. Let’s summarize that post quickly: There are two times where your “Jewish” status matters when making aliyah to Israel: (1) for the Rabbinate (orthodox converts only, and even then it’s not a given) and (2) […]
Convert Questions: Converts and Aliyah
A common question for many converts is whether they can make aliyah to Israel. In short, yes, a convert from any movement can make aliyah to Israel under the Law of Return. This means the convert can get expedited citizenship and be labeled as a “Jew” on their ID card. (I’m still very confused by […]