In a conference room of an Upper West Side synagogue, a group of traditionally observant young Jews gathered last week to engage in an age-old form of rabbinic inquiry to address what they see as the moral crisis in Judaism…
ICE, Gaza and the threat of stupid Jesus
“They killed the boy.” That was the explanation a Bible professor once gave me for why Jesus wasn’t a good model of leadership. The Christian scholar had been describing how, many years before, a subordinate had proposed holding a pastor’s…
That idea about US taking over Gaza isn’t gone yet
U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to evict Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and have the U.S. take it over seemed laughable when he first proposed it in February. Now, he appears to have Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his…
A Jewish group is taking turns fasting to bring attention to starving Gazans
This Friday (June 13), Yehoshua Pinson, an Israeli American Jew living in Durham, North Carolina, plans to fast for 24 hours.
‘This is not the way of peace,’ Boulder Baptist pastor says after attack
The pastor of a Baptist church located just blocks from a violent attack on Jews last Sunday told his congregation, “We must not conflate Jewish people or Judaism with the Israeli government, though we can and should condemn antisemitism and…
Israel bears no responsibility for 50,000 dead Palestinians and those now starving, Huckabee says
Israel bears no responsibility for the 50,000 Palestinians — one-third of whom are minors — killed in Gaza, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told National Public Radio May 21. Huckabee, a former Southern Baptist pastor, has been described as…
50 NGOs protest Israel’s restrictions on aid to Palestinians
More than 50 nongovernmental organizations are protesting new Israeli regulations they contend will further degrade humanitarian assistance to Palestinians and place already endangered relief workers at even greater risk. The international NGOs issued a statement May 6 imploring the world…
How can we love Jesus and let the children of Gaza starve?
I have tattoos — several, in fact. The one on the inside of my left forearm, inked in black and printed in Koine Greek, translated says, “According to Matthew 18:3.” The verse? “Truly I tell you, unless you change and…
‘Popemobile’ Turns Into Health Clinic For Gaza’s Children, As Pope Francis Wished
One of Pope Francis’ “popemobiles” is being turned into a mobile health clinic for Gaza’s wounded and starving children — one of the pontiff’s last wishes before he died and a symbol of his long-held dedication to the Palestinian people.
Let this cup pass: Gethsemane’s cry through Palestinian experience
In the darkness of night, after sharing the Passover meal with his disciples, Jesus led them to a garden called Gethsemane at the foot of the Mount of Olives. This was not just any garden. Its very name tells a…
Trump’s persecution of Mahmoud Khalil sets up a First Amendment showdown
Mahmoud Khalil, who helped lead protests at Columbia University against civilian casualties in Gaza, was arrested by U.S. immigration officers and sent to a detention center in Louisiana. This activates alarms in my First Amendment-loving mind. A series of unusual…
Wake up, liberal Democrats; and I guess you’ll have to abduct me, too, President Trump
Since only 1.1% of the U.S. population is Muslim, let’s play “Six Degrees to a Muslim Friend.” Years ago, Karen Park — the child of missionaries to Chile — introduced me to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The seminary introduced me…