Whose Holocaust?

For much of Europe, today is the UN-designated International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has dedicated his address this year to children murdered by the Nazis, with the message that "the best tribute to the memory of these children is an ongoing effort to teach the universal lessons of the Holocaust, so that no such horror is visited upon future generations."

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Swiss illustration of I Maccabees.

The First War of National Liberation

This is the 2,179th anniversary of the world's first war of national liberation. There have been many since. To a surprising extent, such wars have followed the pattern first established by the Maccabees. They, like later heads of independence movements, were leaders of a people conquered and occupied by a great empire.

The History of the Menorah  Daniel Sperber,  Journal of Jewish Studies.  When the Maccabees recaptured the Temple in Jerusalem, its golden menorah was gone. So, following a soldiers' custom, they made a menorah out of their hollow spear-heads.  SAVE

Sri Lanka Leader Says International Criticism “Tainted”  Agence France-Presse.  There were international allegations that the Sri Lankan army massacred civilians as they ended the Tamil rebellion. The Sri Lankan president disagreed.  SAVE

The Warrior Rabbi  Aryeh Tepper,  Jewish Ideas Daily.  Shlomo Goren, first chief rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces, helped revive the tradition of the Jewish warrior.  SAVE

Mel and the Maccabee  Alex Joffe,  Jewish Ideas Daily.  Should Mel Gibson play Judah Maccabee in "Hannukah—the Movie?"  SAVE

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Jewish Farm School.

Eating Your Values

The many Jewish laws regarding food—how it gets from the ground and into our mouths in a kosher manner—are central to Jewish life.  But what ethical framework underlies the system of kashrut? Maimonides' justifications for kashrut range from avoiding cruelty to animals and eschewing the idolatrous practices of antiquity to considerations of health.

Yiddish Farm  Devra Ferst,  The Jew and the Carrot.  Where Yiddish-language immersion meets sustainable agriculture. (Interview with Naftali Ejdelman)  SAVE

Locusts, Giraffes, and the Meaning of Kashrut  Meir Soloveichik,  Azure.  Sifting historical and contemporary explanations, one Orthodox intellectual settles in the end on divine love and Jewish difference. (PDF)  SAVE

They Were What They Ate  Susan Marks,  H-Net.  A new volume on the role of food in shaping ancient Jewish identity goes farther and deeper than earlier studies of the subject.  SAVE

Slaughterhouse Rules  Elli Fischer,  Jewish Ideas Daily.  As Jewish ritual slaughter makes multiple provisions for the minimization of animal pain, it's evident that those who seek to ban the practice often have something other than animal welfare in mind.  SAVE

Going Kosher  Sue Fishkoff,  JTA.  Reform rabbis of late are challenging their constituents to develop a dietary practice based on such values as sustainability, morality—and, yes, kashrut.  SAVE

Kosher Nation  Jenna Weissman Joselit,  New Republic.  The expansion of the kosher food industry has, ironically, caused kosher food to become invisible.  SAVE

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Plum Street Temple, Cincinnati.

America's Holy Haunted Houses

Halloween is most certainly no Jewish holiday; yet its spooky mood is curiously congruent with the ambience that overcomes American synagogues this time of year.

Take My Synagogue—Please  Philologos,  Forward.  In referring to the place where they worship, most Jews prefer to use a name other than "synagogue," the ancient Greek translation of beit k'nesset.  SAVE

Pay to Pray?  Jack Wertheimer,  Jewish Ideas Daily.  Why, some Jews ask, should synagogues maintain a heavy-handed, materialistic bar to participation precisely on the most sacred days of the Jewish calendar?  SAVE

Toward the Multiplex Shul  Reuven Spolter,  Chopping Wood.  More and more congregants prefer to pray in more intimate surroundings and for shorter periods of time; herewith, a modest proposal for their (increasingly abandoned) rabbis.  SAVE

Living Wills for Synagogues  Jane L. Levere,  New York Times.  A matchmaking effort pairs philanthropists in places that boast thriving Jewish populations with small-town Jewish communities facing demise.  SAVE

Desperately Seeking S’lihot  Allan Nadler,  Jewish Ideas Daily.  Even as the penitential service has been transformed into a major event in the liturgical calendars of non-Orthodox congregations, there has been a catastrophic loss of mimetic musical traditions.  SAVE

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Death of Moses, Alexandre Cabanel, 1851.

The End of the Torah

The Torah begins with a bang—the Big Bang, the creation of the universe. But it ends with a whimper, albeit a whimper concealed by a very loud noise of another kind. Let me explain.

Famous Last Words—but Whose?  Moshe Sokolow,  Jewish Ideas Daily.  Moses' last will and testament take up virtually the entirety of the final portion of the Torah. Its most unusual feature is its anonymity. (PDF)  SAVE

Odds, Ends, and Leftovers  Jeffrey Fiskin,  Forward.  Shemini Atzeret is quiet and thoughtful. Simhat Torah is loud and joyous. Why are two such different holidays celebrated together?  SAVE

Theology and Themes  MyJewishLearning.  On Simhat Torah, the cycle of Torah readings is mirrored in traditional circle dances.  SAVE

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