Life and Action

In Defense of Indoctrination

By Katie Halper

Brainwashing vs.Teaching Values? Katie Halper — comic, writer, blogger, unabashed liberal, and more — sets satire aside to share insights gleaned from making “Commie Camp,” her documentary and loving tribute to Camp Kinderland.

Life and Action

Two Young Chicagoans on Why Iftar in the Synagogue Matters

By Jessica Kim Cohen and Margaret Port

Back in late 2012, anti-Muslim ads were posted in public transit systems in Chicago, New York, and other major US cities. For us since then, building bridges between the Jewish and Muslim communities is a top priority, and we’re proud to stand alongside others committed to a Jewish voice for social justice.

Life and Action

The Leftist Ethicist — July Edition

By Mae Singerman

I believe the criminal justice system is completely broken and racist. I want to make a difference for good as a jury member. Is it ethical to lie about my negative beliefs regarding the police to up my chances of getting selected?

News and Politics

The Zimmerman Trial Juror Spoke Out — And Her Words Were Appalling

Juror B37 said George Zimmerman must have had had “a good heart.” Zimmerman stopped a young heart from beating. What about that heart? For white Jewish women — and anyone outraged who doesn’t look like Trayvon Martin — this moment demands us to be effective allies, calling out racism and fighting it.

News and Politics

Trickle-down Sequester

By Suzanne Reisman

The human fallout from sequestration is real and varied, writes Suzanne Reisman. For youth aging out of foster care, it takes a particularly vulnerable, small group of people who have already faced enormous challenges, and adds unnecessary barriers to their chances of success.

Faith and Practice

Why I Am Not Modern Orthodox

By Shulem Deen

Some time ago, I met a man named Avremel. Avremel was a Satmar Hasid, and when I told him that I too was once Hasidic but am now no longer religious, he did not know what to make of it.

“What do you mean, you are no longer religious?” he asked, shaking his head as if it was all some newfangled bit of nonsense, like naked yoga or a juice fast.

We had met at the Chulent, an underground weekly event in New York City for the non-conformist among the Orthodox: Hippie ex-Hasids mingling with weed-smoking, Lakewood yeshiva guys; Breslov Na-nach-nikim chatting up artsy young women from Borough Park or Monsey.

News and Politics

What Now? A July 4th Playbook for Protecting Voting Rights

By Barbara Weinstein

This week, Americans nationwide will embrace the cliches and heat up their barbeques, catch some fireworks, debate national policies, hopefully capturing the spirit of July 4th and reflecting on their American blessings. Chief among those blessings — well, for citizens at least —is the right to choose the men and women who represent us. After all, this nation was founded by those who opposed “taxation without representation.”

Jewish tradition also speaks clearly to the importance of choosing wise and respected leaders. In the Talmud (Brachot 55a), Rabbi Yitzhak reminds us, “A ruler is not to be appointed until the community is consulted.”

So as American Jews, how can we respond to June 26th US Supreme Court decisionstriking down a key part of the Voting Rights Act?

News and Politics

Post-DOMA, Much MO(re) to be Done

By Jennifer Bernstein

The other night, I was reading my husband’s AEPi alumni magazine when I noticed a same-sex marriage announcement. I really didn’t think anything of it until much later that evening, when all of a sudden it hit me that this item had been included alongside all the other marriage announcements, no big deal. The fact that it wasn’t a big deal was, in fact, a big deal.

I wear many hats. I’m a social worker, a wife, a mom, a Clash fanatic and a Jew. I’m also a feminist and a progressive.

Faith and Practice

Exult! Rejoice! Wait, Who’s Bedding Whom? Listening to Leviticus post-DOMA

The Supreme Court’s ruling on DOMA means that the remaining voices of bias and hate in the conversation are primarily religious ones. This is nothing less than a crisis, writes Rabbi Michael Rothbaum, for anyone who believes that religion remains a prophetic voice for justice. It’s time to look more closely at Leviticus.