Odds & Ends

The opinions expressed on this webpage represent those of the individual authors and, unless clearly labeled as such, do not represent the opinions or policies of TBS   Brush up on your matza history and trivia. By LES SAIDEL 04/11/2014   Matza Photo: REUTERS While the prohibition against eating leavened bread applies to all seven days of Passover, the biblical commandment to eat matza applies only to the first day (and the second day in the Diaspora). Subsequent rabbinic opinions, like Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna (The Vilna Gaon), maintain that the duty to eat matza applies to the entire seven days and has since become the custom. Matza made with liquids other than water, such as egg or fruit juice, is called “matza ashira,” or rich matza. Due to its softer consistency, it was permitted for use during Passover (not on the first night, though) by those who cannot digest regular…

The opinions expressed on this webpage represent those of the individual authors and, unless clearly labeled as such, do not represent the opinions or policies of TBS Professor Tom Berman, internationally renowned aquatic scientist from Kibbutz Amiad by George Alexander, March 23, 2014 Last week I was shocked to read in a year-old issue of Haaretz that Tommy was found dead in the Galapagos Islands. Apparently he fell from a cliff while hiking alone. He was 79 years old. When we first met, we were two poor kids at Rutgers who could not afford to live in a dorm. Due to the generosity of Rabbi Julius Funk z"l, we were allowed to live in the two wings of the Hillel House stage, in exchange of setting up chairs and tables for events and locking up afterwards. We were immediately attracted to each other with our backgrounds in Europe and of…

March 9, 2014 / 7 Adar II 5774Hevre,After months of discussion and evaluation, our kehillot have voted not to accept the new dues system proposed by the United Synagogue board. The decision was made today in a vote (418 yes, 476 no and 5 abstentions) by representatives of 318 synagogues participating in the meeting of our General Assembly of Kehillot. (TBS cast its 4 votes to approve the motion. ed.)Before discussing next steps, we’d like to note the marked sea change this vote represents in the governance of United Synagogue and its relationship with affiliated kehillot. From beginning to end, the process was transparent and participatory. Kehilla representatives sat on the task force that developed the plan and took part in extensive learning and feedback sessions after it was formally proposed.We appreciate the thoughtful conversations you have had with your boards on the dues issue. And we’re proud that we…

Information on Proposed New Dues System As published on the USCJ website www.uscj.org At 1 p.m. on March 9, 2014, USCJ kehillot will vote on a proposed new dues system based on a percent of synagogue operating revenues rather than number of family units. The rate would be set at 2.25 percent. Based on kehilla feedback, this proposal has been SIGNIFICANTLY REVISED since first presented at the General Assembly of Kehillot in October 2013. New Method for Calculating Revenues: The method for calculating operating revenues now uses NET revenues from certain programs, such as preschools and fundraising events like dinners and galas. Click here to see a detailed explanation of the revised method for calculating operating revenues. Get the Details: View a detailed PowerPoint about the plan, plus FAQs. Calculate Your Estimated Dues: Click here for a worksheet to estimate your dues under the proposed new system. To vote on…

Three part musical history of the Sephardi Jews from the time of their expulsion from Spain until their return to Palestine. Sung by Yoram Gaon, a Jewish Israeli singer, actor, director, producer, TV and radio host, and public figure. He has also written and edited books on Israeli culture. The son of Sephardic Jewish parents—a Macedonian father and Turkish mother, both immigrants to Israel—he became an early inspiration of "solidarity and pride" for the Sephardic community. Click the triangle on the picture to view and listen.

The opinions expressed on this webpage represent those of the individual authors and, unless clearly labeled as such, do not represent the opinions or policies of TBS The deal was announced by the EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, accompanied by the foreign ministers of Iran, the US, UK, Russia, China, France and GermanyPOST-MORTEM OF A TERRIBLE AGREEMENTBy Jaime Einstein - November 24, 2013An agreement has been signed against all logical arguments, and in spite of the repeated warnings by countries as diverse as Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (with the possible additional voices of Egypt, Oman, Bahrein and Qatar).  These variegated voices have been singing in a unique choir, which mixes Bibi Netanyahu´s baritone and the sotto voce additions of Sunni countries.  In spite of this, the “interim agreement” was signed today between the Islamic Republic of Iran, the five great powers plus Germany… and smiling…

Published on Nov 11, 2013 New Haven, CT - A Connecticut Rebbe received the surprise of his life when he discovered a shopping bag full of cash in a desk that he bought on Craigslist.

The opinions expressed on this webpage represent those of the individual authors and, unless clearly labeled as such, do not represent the opinions or policies of TBS Pilar Rahola Speaks: Jews with Six Arms Why do so many intelligent people, when talking about Israel, suddenly become idiots? by Pilar Rahola This speech was given December 16, 2009 at the Conference in the Global forum for Combating Anti-Semitism in Jerusalem. Pilar Rahola is a Spanish Catalan journalist, writer, and former politician and Member of Parliament, and member of the far left. A meeting in Barcelona with a hundred lawyers and judges a month ago. They have come together to hear my opinions on the Middle-Eastern conflict. They know that I am a heterodoxal vessel, in the shipwreck of “single thinking” regarding Israel, which rules in my country. They want to listen to me, because they ask themselves why, if Pilar is…

The opinions expressed on this webpage represent those of the individual authors and, unless clearly labeled as such, do not represent the opinions or policies of TBSFinding Orthodoxy - A well-known author writes candidly about Orthodoxy Naomi Ragen is the author of ten novels and an award-winning play, Women’s Minyan. Her latest book, The Sisters Weiss, will be published by St. Martin’s Press in October, 2013. Born in America, she has lived in Jerusalem since 1971, and is deeply involved in gender rights issues in religious life, including the successful court case against gender-separation on public buses. Read more at www.naomiragen.com. This article appears in issue 17 of Conversations, the journal of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals. My path to Orthodoxy was unorthodox, and that has made all the difference, I think, in what I hope for and expect as part of Orthodox Jewry. I was the child…

The opinions expressed on this webpage represent those of the individual authors and, unless clearly labeled as such, do not represent the opinions or policies of TBSA Point of View: Democracy and Islamic law French and Turkish military officials meet after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire Should a nation be defined by language and territory, by ruling party or by faith, asks Roger Scruton. To understand what is happening in the Middle East today we must look back to the end of World War I. The Austro-Hungarian Empire had been destroyed, and from the ruins emerged a collection of nation states. These nation states - including Austria, Hungary, Romania and Czechoslovakia - were not arbitrary creations. Their boundaries reflected long-standing divisions of language, religion, culture and ethnicity. And although the whole arrangement collapsed within two decades, this was in part because of the rise of Nazism and communism, both…