Talented film director Roman Polanski was accused and convicted of raping a 13-year-old girl some thirty years ago. There was some sympathy for him at the time. His wife Sharon Tate had been brutally murdered by the Manson “family” and he was in a state of emotional shock. But he fled the United States and lived in France and travelled…
General Topics
Why blog?
This is, of course, the time of the year for reflection and self-examination. Amongst the things I ask myself is why do I keep on writing my weekly pieces? It has been ten years since I started sending out weekly comments on the Torah by email. That morphed into weekly essays on Jewish topics, and then turned into what is…
Be Happy
When we consider religion we rarely think of fun or joy. Usually it is control, discipline, and awe. As we enter the period often described as the Days of Awe, I wonder what the value of being somber is. There is an early tradition of combining joy with restraint. In Hebrew it is Gilu BiRe’ada, “Serve the Lord with awe…
Birthright, Birthwrong
Non-Orthodox American Jews are seriously worried about their future. Assimilation is increasing and vast numbers of young Jews seem to be disappearing from the ranks. Over the years the panaceas have lost their attraction–secular Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust, new age alternatives, even kabbala. So the idea emerged that free trips to Israel with no agenda other than experiencing Israel might just…
Ernest Levy of Glasgow
From 1968 until 1971, I was the rabbi of the largest community in Scotland, the Giffnock and Newlands Hebrew Congregation of Glasgow in Scotland. It was my first full-time job, fresh from Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem. For those who might not realize it, Scotland and England are two very different countries! I drove up the motorway from my mother’s home…
Americarabia
We are used to the exaggerated, scare term “Eurabia“, to describe the capitulation of European culture and politics to Islam. As is often attributed to Edmund Burke, “All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing.” So you can imagine how grave the danger is when apparently intelligent, open-minded academics go a stage further…