Israel
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by Rabbi Toba Spitzer In The Meaning of God in Modern Jewish Religion (published in 1937), in the chapter on Chanukah, Mordecai Kaplan reflected on Jewish survival in the face of competing cultures. He wrote: “Paradoxical as it may seem, if a nation wishes to survive, it must not make survival itself its supreme objective,…
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by Dr. Mel Scult Peter Beinart in the Sunday Opinion section of the New York Times, was his usual brilliant self. But in this case he happens to be wrong. He would have us believe that the liberals on the left who have traditionally identified strongly with Israel have no place to go. He would…
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Joseph Reimer In my recent book, Making Shabbat, I tell the story of the Schoolmans, founders of Cejwin Camp. There were Jewish camps before Cejwin, but the Schoolmans created the first intentional Jewish camp: a space for campers and staff to actively engage their Judaism. The Schoolmans were disciples of Mordechai Kaplan. Intentional Jewish camping…
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As we prepare to begin our reading of the Book of Exodus at a time of war and conflict these two reflections by Mel Scult on Kaplan’s views of might and right seem particularly contemporary. From Mordecai Kaplan: What can be plainer than that the following indicates what the Exodus meant to Israel: “And for…
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Personal Prelude Like many of our readers, I struggle to make sense of the events occurring on and after October 7th. Perspective is almost impossible to gain. I wake up daily hoping to hear that all the captives of Zion have been returned. I try to make sense of the absolute evil that came with…
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with Rabbis Michael Cohen, Barbara Penzner, Gail Shuster-Bouskila, Dennis Sasso, and Dr. Shlomi Ravid April 23, 2023 Webinar Panelists Rabbi Michael Margaretten Cohen is a faculty member of the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies and Bennington College. He teaches courses on conflict resolution, the Bible, and the environment. Rabbi Cohen has been a Policy Advisor…
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IsraelNow.org IsraelNow provides 8th graders an immersive, emotional, and memorable taste of Israel through a week-long trip. Participants return from the program excited to be involved in their respective synagogues and communities, but IsraelNow believes that engagement and education should begin before departure. IsraelNow hopes to develop a curriculum that is experiential and learner centered…