Articles

As we are set to observe Yom HaShoah, we are confronted with a new political reality. In this state of social madness, commentators and writers link all forms of hate and all acts of violence as a singular expression about our contemporary society. Why is anti-Semitism different? If one looks carefully at the websites of the alt-right, the white supremacists and the neo-Nazis, their unique and particular focus on Jews is striking, if not scary. Hatred of everyone that is non-white represents their generic mantra. Jews are seen as distinctive for

At this season of our moving from the narrow places that shaped our past to the possibilities of a new tomorrow, we find a Jewish community that is at a significant crossroads in its American journey. Today, external forces are undermining the political standing and status of America’s Jews, just as internal trends point to significant demographic and structural changes impacting our institutions and the welfare of our community. Passover reminds us of the special opportunity to take stock of our current condition, along with the possibilities of creating new beginnings! Lurking outside of our community is...

Steven Windmueller, PhD professor emeritus at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles, spoke with Sputnik about voting patterns among American Jews, as well as the influence of lobbying groups such as AIPAC amid anti-Semitic scandals, involving the Democratic party. Sputnik: Since 1948 more Jews have voted for Democrat candidates than Republicans despite the fact that during this 70-year period both parties have gone through transformation. Would you call the Jewish voting bloc one of the most stable in US politics? Steven Windmueller: Voting patterns among groups within the United States actually do not generally radically change! In fact...

The landscape for the Los Angeles is changing, and so is its Jewish community. There are many factors contributing to these structural changes, including such external issues as the cost of living, traffic congestion and high taxes. When we add the changing lifestyle choices of Millennials and Generation Z to the existing economic realities, we have a confluence of forces contributing to the remaking of Jewish Los Angeles. No doubt, the impact of these forces on quality of life issues is influencing the choices families and individuals are making in connection with remaining in Los Angeles or leaving.

In recent years, much has been written about Purim with its distinctive political themes and leadership insights. Through their actions, the story’s principal characters, Esther and Mordecai, dramatically offer us a model of active intervention. Over the past several years, this writer has offered two earlier “takes” on the Purim saga.[1] In this piece, five additional themes are being introduced, adding to the quality and depth of this book’s powerful imagery and its timeless messaging...

Two years ago, I addressed the unsettled state of America’s Jews in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election. At that time I noted:[1] The Trump Presidency has resulted in a fundamentally disruptive moment in this nation’s political culture. Not only are we experiencing strikingly different policy options and directions, but the cultural artifacts of politics, namely how this President operates dramatically challenges the existing norms of political behavior and action. As we have shifted from a period of American liberalism to a time of political populism...

The Jewish community is currently bereft and preoccupied by a series of political wars, involving the current administrations both in Washington and Jerusalem. They include issues of Israeli settlements, annexation, and human rights practices, and the broader issues of American foreign policy in the Middle East and elsewhere. What is needed now is a collective effort to grow the...

We are people who fully embrace its past but our track record in planning for, or at least thinking about, the future is at best uneven. Planning for the Jewish future is both structural and strategic; it involves policy questions and operational considerations. Last year, on these pages I prepared an essay focusing on the structural elements that defined the American Jewish experience.[1] Each of these tactical issues must be seen on the one hand as distinctive and on the other as part of an integrative package essential for managing the Jewish future!

The following letter, a version of which was shared with my own family, models an old Jewish tradition of Hebrew ethical wills:[1] When we are together, I am not always comfortable speaking to you about life and more directly your world. Indeed, if we have occasion to speak, I tend to ask you questions like “how is school going?” or “what’s new in your world?” These inquiries are asked with sincere interest in your wellbeing, in part drawn from my pride in seeing you grow in your respective life journeys. But often, the tough stuff of life never gets addressed...

Modern Israel has been a remarkable unifying force for American Jewry. Sadly, the subject of Israel and most discussions about Israeli policies today have become deeply divisive. In some instances, these debates have cost friendships and silenced organizations and Jewish leaders from engaging in conversations around Israel. There is an issue, however, around which most Jews can coalesce — the potential annexation of portions or all of Judea and Samaria, the West Bank. This poses a threat to Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state...