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Updated 11/08/09 @ 08:02AM EDT
- Composer Richard Wagner's great-grandson criticized the music chosen to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall because it includes a composition by his "anti-Semitic" great-grandfather.
- The United States and Israel need to improve their communication, Jerusalem's mayor said.
- Norwegian prosecutors have dropped a case alleging war crimes by 10 Israeli leaders during last winter’s Gaza military campaign.
- Palestinian activists attempted to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall by knocking down a portion of the West Bank security wall.
- An evangelical Christian who promotes Messianic Judaism will be the keynote speaker at a Birthright Israel alumni event in New York this month.
- Wagner great-grandson objects to Berlin Wall event music
- Jerusalem mayor: U.S., Israel should improve communication
- Norway drops war crimes case against Israel
- Palestinians knock down portion of security wall
- Evangelical leader to speak at Birthright Next event
- Obama, Netanyahu to meet, Israeli newspaper reports
- Reform endorse qual treatment for Israeli Arabs
- Iran may have tested secret nuclear warhead design
- Obama’s Nobel, Israel’s problem?
- Jews of color come together to explore identity
- FBI: Alleged spy wannabe asked for Israeli citizenship
- Family likely murdered by professional killer
- New signs that Ethiopian aliyah will resume
- U.S. appetite for Israeli food grows
- Female Orthodox scholars helping women talk about sex
- Attacks on J Street as parley approaches
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Posted in: Reform backs same-sex marriage ban challenge
01/15/09 11:03 AM
One more thing: for anyone who believes that gay marriage is not a "Jewish issue:" Judaism has always concerned itself with human rights, the ability of individuals to live lives of dignity, and the ability of Jews to create families. If my father fell seriously ill, and my mother was not allowed to visit my father in the hospital, I feel sure that my rabbi would work hard to make sure that she was able to gain entry. If my mother had died when I was a child and my brother and I had been given to someone other than my father to raise, I'm sure my rabbi would have intervened to allow my father to raise us. Is denying these basic rights to committed couples part of your Jewish value system? If so, perhaps I'm beginning to understand the apathy of the younger generations and the declining synagogue membership numbers across the US.
Posted in: Reform backs same-sex marriage ban challenge
01/15/09 10:28 AM
I'm frankly amused by the sudden committment to halakha in the Reform world. May I ask if those of you with halakhic concerns about gay couples having wedding ceremonies also check to make sure that your garments are not made of a mix of wool and cotton? Because that's also forbidden d'oraita (in the Torah). If you empty a mousetrap and accidentally touch the dead mouse, do you go to the mikveh to render yourself ritually clean again? Because "dead swarming things" (mice, flies) are an abomination, and one who touches them is unclean until sunset and purification, also from the Torah. I could go on, but I don't think it's necessary. But here's a question: have a look and see what the Torah says about marriage. Really, please go look. Use a concordance if you need to. And it doesn't matter which language you prefer, Hebrew or English. Forget "tikkun olam" for the moment; it's an overused and misunderstood concept. Instead, consider this: the prohibition is against two men having anal intercourse. What about two men who want to marry who don't have anal intercourse? (don't laugh - not all gay men do.) What about two women? Please tell me what verses in the Torah forbid a marriage between two adults, and I will be happy to reconsider my position.
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