We’ve all been there: the awkward first date. He’s shy. She’s nervous. They wait for a table at a restaurant and try to make small talk, but observations about the weather and the restaurant prove both uninteresting and brief. On their JDate profiles, they seemed...
Religion isn’t hip. It’s not cool, it’s not fun, it’s not trendy. That, at least, was the opinion of one intern at the Moment office. An editor replied that there were no exciting outlets for religious discussion. So, as they are wont to do, members...
By Daniel Kieval Shabbat, the seventh day, the day of rest, is a strange concept to so many today. The long lists of prohibited actions seem to run counter to popular notions of individual choice and freedom, and the idea of temporarily disengaging from the continual...
By Steven Philp It looks like Bay Area Jews may one day have to leave the city to perform brit milah for their male children; a new measure gathering signatures for the November 2011 ballot would make it a misdemeanor to circumcise men under the age...
By Daniel Kieval A Christian, a Muslim and a Jew walk into a room. No, it's not the beginning of a bad joke. But its meaning depends on what city you're in. If you are in New York, it could be a visit to the New York...
By Steven Philp It has been one month since the suicides of ten LGBT teens prompted a national debate on the adverse effects of homophobic bullying in our schools. One of the more positive results of this dialogue has been the It Gets Better Project. Started...
By Merav Levkowitz Those of us who have a Facebook roster full of Jewish friends are used to it: “Shabbat shalom” status updates, photos of apples and honey for Rosh Hashanah, and viral articles or videos that are reposted ad infinitum (this week’s was Judd Apatow’s clip...
by Daniel Kieval "Do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor." (Leviticus 19:16) [caption id="" align="alignright" width="277" caption="Elie Wiesel speaks at Wesleyan"][/caption] In an address given last week at Wesleyan University, Elie Wiesel called this verse the motto of his adult life. It would...
By Lily Hoffman Simon When Noah’s ark ended its forty day journey, Noah sent forth a dove, which returned to him with an olive branch. The olive branch indicated the end of the flood and reappearance of land, and symbolized the restoration of justice to humanity (Genesis...
By Samantha Sisskind AMMAN, JORDAN – The swastika and anti-Israel graffiti spray-painted on the wall of a church parking lot I pass on the way to my school in central Amman reminds me daily of the blurred line between religious and political beliefs, particularly here in the Middle...
