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conservative

Everything is easier than doing good

Some thoughts for Rosh Hashanah: If we took a vote on what trait we human beings most value, goodness would undoubtedly win. Certainly goodness is the trait that we most want everyone else to possess. But if we say we value goodness above everything else — and surely Judaism does — why aren\’t there more good people? A big reason is that it is easier to value other things — including, and especially, positive things — more than goodness. So it\’s much easier to be just about anything rather than good. It’s easier to be religious than to be good.

Rabbi’s use of discretionary funds spurs new policies

In response to the Haiti earthquake in January 2010 and the Carmel forest fires in Israel in December 2010, members of Congregation Ner Tamid of South Bay, like so many others, wanted to donate money to help the victims. So, many of them directed donations through Rabbi Isaac Jeret’s discretionary fund.

Diversity is good for Jewish college students

In case you haven’t heard, Orthodox Judaism has pretty much taken over Jewish life on U.S. college campuses. I say this not because I’m smug and happy about it, but as a wake-up call to the Conservative and Reform branches to get their acts together.

So, how many Jews will vote for Mitt Romney?

Here is a truism we all already know: Jews are news. The fact is, no matter how tiny the American Jewish community might be — between 1.5 and 2 percent of the population — the battle for Jewish votes will be extensively reported and analyzed.

Conservatives’ challenge to Orthodoxy’s near monopoly on kosher gets more serious

The Conservative movement’s ethical kosher initiative may not have been intended as a wedge into the Orthodox monopoly over kosher supervision. But the planned rollout this summer of the Conservative-backed seal of ethical kosher production, the Magen Tzedek, coincides with an increase in the number of Conservative rabbis acting as kosher supervisors.

Don’t believe gloomy forecasts on Conservative Judaism

Conservative Judaism is dying, I hear — or at least according to the media. Not so. Please don\’t tell me that because North America\’s United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism has had its problems, that means Conservative/Masorti Judaism is declining around the Jewish world.

Torah Judaism has no concept of ‘ex-gay’

Since 2002, when I started becoming open about my personal religious choice to stop having sex with men, liberals on gay issues have repeatedly accused me of being a Jewish \”ex-gay.

New Conservative seminary leader outlines goals

\”Numbers don\’t keep me up at night; Israel keeps me up at night,\” Eisen said. \”I\’m worried about the security of Israel, and I\’m worried about the apparent decline in attachment on the part of American Jews to Israel. This literally, from time to time, keeps me up at night.\”

Why the Conservative movement endorsed gays

Last week, the Conservative movement paved the way for ordination of gay rabbis and the performance of commitment ceremonies for same-sex couples. But the decisions that came out of the two-day meeting of the Rabbinical Assembly\’s Law Committee — the advisory body for the movement — were much more nuanced than headlines suggested.

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Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.