What Is Going On at UCI?
By Dov Fischer I live in Irvine and have been a congregational rabbi and community activist here for more than five years. Because I grew up on the East Coast, have traveled all across...
Category: Judaism
The Cultural Jew Within
Are our observances truly religious, or do they sometimes devolve into rote?
Scandal Upon Scandal
invoking an “Agriprocessors scandal” to justify some need for an extra-governmental “ethical certification seal” is cynical opportunism, a scandal upon a scandal.
“Liberal Denominations Face Crisis”
That’s not me, it’s The Forward. Jews are finding less reason to be part of liberal synagogues, while liberal synagogues are finding less reason to be part of a denominational body. The shteibl model...
On Nitpicking, Pilpulistic Nonsense, and Hair-Splitting in the Law
by Dov Fischer Twenty years ago, a friend arranged for me to have lunch with a prominent Jewish name-partner at a major Los Angeles law firm. My friend explained to me that the partner...
Thank You, Dr. Murray
Writer and educator Dr. Erica Brown penned a thoughtful piece for the New York Jewish Week on January 25, in which she addressed the concept of Jewish peoplehood. “The niggling tension of Judaism as...
Sad, Not Stunning
The Baltimore Jewish Times calls them “stunning:” the results of the new demographic survey commissioned by the Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore. They highlight both the tremendous growth of the observant community and...
Swearing off the “U” Word
Does affirmation of the Jewish religious heritage… make haredim “extremist”? Considering the other candidates for that word today?
Tunisia, Biblical Slavery, and the Contours of Rabbinic Fences
Napoleon reported on a conversation he had with Polish serfs about liberty. “Certainly we should like to have it very much; but who will feed, clothe, and house us?” We are no longer amazed...
Left-Wing Rabbis Condemn Right-Wing Pundit
Someone tell me why this is news? For the record, I don’t know what point Glenn Beck was intending to make about George Soros, and he may have exaggerated about the extent of Soros’...
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