October 10, 2013

Pew study finds a vibrant Jewish community

Jewish Journal October 10, 2013

Over the past week, I have seen a flurry of writing about Pew Research Center’s study on American Jews. Several scholars and communal leaders have taken an alarmist stance toward the findings, calling the increasing rate of intermarriage “devastating” and describing non-Orthodox Jews as “demographically challenged.” As an adviser to the Pew study and researcher of American Jewish communities, I would like to offer a more optimistic analysis.

Crisis and opportunity — Reflections on the Pew report

Jewish Journal October 10, 2013

Full disclosure: I have been thinking about the results of the Pew report for more than a decade. I understand that Pew didn’t release its results until last week, but these statistics and trends have been obvious to some in the Jewish community for a very long time.

This week in power: Ovadia Yosef’s legacy and where the Jewish people really originated

Danny Groner October 10, 2013

Miley Cyrus doesn’t want a 70-year-old Jewish man telling her what to do

Jewish Journal October 10, 2013

It seems impossible that Miley Cyrus could put her foot in her mouth, what with that enormous tongue she’s always sticking out taking up so much room in there. Somehow, though, pop star has gone and done exactly that.

Grave situation, as youth vandalism rises in Jerusalem

Jewish Journal October 10, 2013

The Mount of Olives, a 2.2-mile ridge of three mountains to the east of Jerusalem’s Old City, is a holy site for Jews and Christians. It’s dotted with countless churches and is home to the world’s largest Jewish cemetery, with approximately 150,000 graves.