Category Archives: Judaism

What’s It Like When A Family Member Converts To Judaism?

Is it any different for those left behind if the black sheep had become Catholic or Buddhist or Muslim? Does it feel like a diss of the family? I meet a lot of people who convert to Judaism, but I … Continue reading

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One Law for Jews, Another Law for Gentiles

Most of the world is tribal and tribal morality is inevitably dual — there’s one morality for how you deal with members of the tribe and another morality for how you deal with outsiders. Judaism is tribal morality (with the … Continue reading

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Tchernovitz, Bitzaron and Israel Stiefel

Jay Stiefel (jrstiefel at gmail.com) emails: Hi, Luke- I enjoyed reading your thumbnail bio about Chaim Tchernovitz, founder and publisher of Bitzaron, the international Hebrew monthly. My father, Israel Stiefel (1898-1966) was its chairman during the period that the Rav … Continue reading

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Judaism as world wisdom

Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson writes: Nobody today comments on the disproportionate number of Jews in the Supreme Court or in Congress. It is commonplace to hear Yiddish in the entertainment industry, the finance industry, business and academia. That presence is … Continue reading

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100 Africans Convert To Judaism On Island Of Madagascar

As Israel gets richer, people around the world decide to become Jewish. Forward: More than 100 men and women converted to Judaism in Madagascar this month, a historic first for the large island nation off the southeast coast of Africa. … Continue reading

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