by masthead [➚] · Friday, June 20th, 2008
Those who remember the first conference two years ago can recall how incredible it was for a Jewish organization to finally speak out on torture, to offer serious approaches against torture from a Jewish perspective (Rabbi Saul Berman’s amazing session really stands out in my memory).
Once again, Rabbis for Human Rights North America is holding a conference. This one is to be open not just to clergy and students, but to everyone who is concerned about human rights from a Jewish perspective.
Also for a nice change of pace, it’s not to be in New York, but in Washington, D.C.
On International Human Rights Day last year RHR-NA launched a new initiative called K’vod Habriot, which is to be a Jewish Human Rights Network of Rabbis, Communities and Individuals dedicated to the human rights of all. The conference is intended to propel that work forward; at the conference there will be workshops and training and study sessions devoted to how to organize support for human rights in the various Jewish communities.
Some amazing presenters are already lined up, among them:
Sari Nusseibeh, President of Al Quds University
Avram Burg, author and former Speaker of the Knesset
Dr. Arnold Eisen, Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary
Dr. David Gushee, founder of Evangelicals for Human Rights
Imam Yahya Hendi, founder of Imams for Human Rights and Dialogue
Sammie Moshenberg, of the National Council of Jewish Women
Information here:
Register here
or download a registration form here
by masthead [➚] · Monday, March 31st, 2008
Some stories have been floating around the media with varying levels of accuracy, but Jewschool has obtained the full (or fuller) story from reliable sources. The real story here isn’t about gay and lesbian rabbis in the Conservative movement (that was last year’s story); it’s about the lengths to which people and institutions will go out of fear, demonizing their own students and losing all perspective.
The story begins a year ago this week, when the Jewish Theological Seminary announced that it would begin admitting openly gay and lesbian students to its rabbinical and cantorial schools. (The American Jewish University, formerly the University of Judaism, is now also admitting gay and lesbian students.) One year later, to mark the anniversary, JTS held a program on Wednesday called Hazak Hazak V’nithazek: Celebrating Strength Through Inclusion, a full day of study, conversation, and celebration.
Several JTS students studying this year at Machon Schechter (the Conservative rabbinical school in Jerusalem where American Conservative rabbinical students are required to spend a year) wanted to participate in the celebration going on in New York in some way, and since they couldn’t attend physically, they organized a small parallel event in Israel. According to email invitations sent to the Conservative Yeshiva and other rabbinical students in Jerusalem, the students invited Yonatan Gher, former Director of Communications for the Masorti (Israeli Conservative) movement, incoming director of the Jerusalem Open House, and a member of Masorti congregations his whole life (and recently profiled in the New York Times because he and his partner are having a child via a surrogate mother in India), to speak over lunch about his personal experiences as a member of a GLBT family in the Masorti movement.
More »
by masthead [➚] · Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
Dear Jewschool readers,
Recently we’ve seen a rash of comments that our editorial board has felt are unacceptably racist or hateful. A number of these comments are in response to the post Between Hebron and Jerusalem. While we realize that discussions about Israel can be very heated, it is part of this blog’s culture not to allow any racial groups to be labeled with hateful language.
As you all know, this is a place for diverse opinions about Jewish life and the big world. We encourage this to be a place of lively, passionate debate and a diversity of opinions. But we are also a place guided by the values of sh’mirat ha-lashon (guarding one’s tongue against hurtful words) and k’vod haberiyot (respect for one’s fellow). As such, hateful, mean-spirited, racist, or inciting comments will not be tolerated. If you disagree with a policy or a statement, feel free to attack it using all of your God-given powers of intellect and reason. However, if your comments devolve more into potshots or racist assault, we will simply delete them or choose not to include them in our site altogether.
This is meant to be a place of vigorous disagreement in mutual respect. As Rabbi Eliezer said: Let the honor of your fellow be as dear to you as your own.
by masthead [➚] · Wednesday, August 15th, 2007
Started in December 2002 as a way to get the word out about cool events and lefty Israel news, Jewschool is now bigger and better than any of its founders ever could have dreamed. Originally a side project of Daniel J. Sieradski, a.k.a. “Mobius,†Jewschool quickly became home to a group of young Jews who were just learning about the blogosphere. Only later did we become an influential part of the larger network of the first generation of “J-bloggers†(Jewish bloggers).
Today we are a diverse group of reporters, reviewers, and ranters bringing you—our tens of thousands of readers—news, views, religion, and cultural criticism from the progressive sector of the Jewish world. Along the way, we not-infrequently scoop the mainstream Jewish press. The Times of London has called us the third most influential religion blog in the world and New Voices awarded us Best Blog of 2006. Over the years we’ve also won numerous accolades from the Jewish and Israeli Blog Awards and shout-outs from the established secular and Jewish press. And if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, who can forget the “True Jewschool†incident? Most importantly, Jewschool dares to do what others cannot: It pries Judaism from the grip of the Jewish establishment and serves it up to the public with the insistence, “This belongs to all of us.â€
None of this would have been possible without Mobius’ vision, leadership, sweat, tears, and love. For nearly five years, Mobius has lived and breathed Jewschool. Now, confident about Jewschool’s place in the Jewish universe, Mobius has decided to move on to a new position as Director of New Media at JTA. Mazal tov! Today will be Mobius’ final day as editor in chief and blogger of Jewschool. You can keep up with him at his personal blog, Orthodox Anarchist.
As for us, Jewschool as you know and love it will continue to rock and roil the Jewish world. As of today Jewschool’s leadership will pass to a four-member core team drawn from our current editorial staff. During a brief transition period, all of us on the editorial staff will be working hard on exciting plans to expand our circle of contributors, increase our coverage, and continually refine our vision in order to bring you the best in Jewish blogging.
We invite you to leave congratulations to Mobius and wishes for the future either in the comment section of this post or in Mobius’ final post.
Media inquiries and submissions should be sent to editor – at – jewschool – dot – com.
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