Harvard University is in hot water over its decision to schedule women-only hours at one of its gyms to accommodate requests from women Muslim students whose religious beliefs prohibit them from working out in front of men in exercise wear. Harvard has scheduled only six women-only hours per week, out of the seventy hours the… Read More »
I’ve just asked to be unsubscribed from the “jewish-boston” mailing list. I just can’t take it anymore.
I’ve been invited to be a contributor to Jewneric. I’ll be “simulblogging” my Judaism-related articles on my blog here as well as on Jewneric. If one of the articles here piques your interest, you may wish to follow the comments about it on Jewneric as well as here. I’ll post cross-links at the ends of… Read More »
Political discussions among Jews who align themselves with the Democratic party frequently turn to the question of how it can possibly be that any Jew would choose to be a Republican (yes, we really do find it hard to believe!) and how to win them over to the Democrats. I have written previously about how… Read More »
I have been reluctant to write here about the smear campaign against Barack Obama that has been targeted at Jews. I had hoped that people would recognize it as the despicable pack of lies that it most surely is, but alas, it seems that some are not, so I feel the need to speak out.… Read More »
The Scripps News wire recently ran a story which the Boston Herald picked up, ‘Green’ burials get a boost. Apparently, the idea of burying someone wrapped in a simple shroud, in a plain wooden coffin, with no embalming and no concrete vault, is so revolutionary that it deserves news coverage. Admittedly, the “green burial” movement… Read More »
Along with countless Jews throughout the ages, I have spent a great deal of time thinking about how to justify belief in the Torah through rational argument. It is certainly possible to maintain a belief in Judaism or anything else through simple faith, without regard for whether there is any rational underpinning for one’s beliefs.… Read More »
Passing on an email message that was forwarded to me: From: Gary Buchwald <Gary7@alum.mit.edu> Please take the time to read this brief email and help in any way you can. The email below is currently being circulated by the family of an Agunah, Susie Rosenfeld, who currently lives in Oceanside. It has started a barrage… Read More »
I just saw an announcement for a talk being given tonight in a Boston Jewish venue by a visiting rabbi who shall rename nameless. The title of the talk is, “Self-Righteousness — Going on an Ego Trip”. The announcement of the talk included the following biography of the speaker (emphases mine): Rabbi [deleted] was born… Read More »
A few days ago, I flew off the handle and attacked someone on the jewish-boston mailing list for a comment which was meant in jest and which I incorrectly took seriously. I was helped to see the error of my ways by some very polite people, and this morning I sent this apology to the… Read More »