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Author Archives: Rabbi Linden
Virtual Book Club: Crisis of Zionism Chapter 3
This is a short chapter, and it sets up what, it seems to me, should be a straw man, but actually isn’t: the argument that American Jews should never criticize Israel. For Beinart the notion that American Jews should never … Continue reading
Virtual Book Club: Crisis of Zionism Chapter Two
Explanation of Virtual Book Club here. Discussion of Introduction and Chapter One here. This was a confounding chapter for me. On the one hand, Peter Beinart wants to argue that the situation we are in right now is—as the title … Continue reading
Debate Reaction: Beinart versus Gordis
Last night in New York, Peter Beinart, author of Crisis of Zionism (the subject of our Virtual Book Club!) and Dr. Daniel Gordis (author of many, many, things, including this brutal review of said book) squared off in a debate … Continue reading
A Response from Bend the Arc
In response to my recent post about the name of Bend the Arc, and the shuttering of the service learning division, I received an e-mail from Avi Smolen, the Communications Manager for Bend the Arc. With his permission, I am … Continue reading
Posted in Jewish world, Religion in America
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Virtual Book Club: “Crisis of Zionism” Intro and Chapter One
I have to admit that the Introduction to “Crisis of Zionism” made me nervous. And maybe not in the way you might think. Beinart opens the book with two formative experiences, one Jewish, the other—broadly speaking—liberal. (Throughout the book Beinart … Continue reading
Virtual Book Club: The Crisis of Zionism
Over the last month or so, Peter Beinart’s book The Crisis of Zionism, has inspired a tremendous amount of conversation, denunciation, and prognostication. (I love that last word.) I have read a lot about the book, and I have read … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Israel
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UnBending the Arc
I’m not sure how many people noticed, but two interesting and vibrant Jewish organizations, Jewish Funds For Justice (which went by the spectacularly misleading acronym JFSJ) and the Progressive Jewish Alliance (which went by the somewhat more helpful PJA) recently … Continue reading
Posted in Jewish world, Religion in America
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Reflections from the Lower Ninth
A little over a month ago, the New York Times Magazine published a long piece about the Lower Ninth Ward. I asked our resident expert, David Eber a former AVODAH Corps member who has worked in the Lower Ninth for … Continue reading
Posted in New Orleans
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Great Jewish Movie Ideas
I really feel like Alyssa Rosenberg, the Culture Blogger for the Center for American Progress, is sort of trespassing on my territory with this post listing five great Jewish stories that should be made into movies. It’s not that I … Continue reading
Posted in Popular Culture
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A Modest Proposal About “The List”
I have blogged before about the annual list of America’s Fifty Top Rabbis. I have joked in the past that this is the list that is stupid and pointless until you are on it (or your rabbi/institutional leader is on … Continue reading
Posted in Current Events, Jewish world
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Passover, Freedom, and Two Movies
Just in time for Passover, I watched two movies that were about freedom. Actually, they’re not really about freedom at all, but because Passover is neigh, I could not help reacting to the subtle threads that connected these two disparate … Continue reading
Posted in Holidays, Popular Culture
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On Bounties and the Saints
As regular readers of this blog (thanks, Michael!) know, I swore off football for last year. On the heels of my hiatus came the news that the New Orleans Saints had been very bad boys and girls (okay, mostly boys) … Continue reading
Reviewing The Hunger Games
As is customary, I will say that this post contains spoilers to the movie and the book of The Hunger Games. I knew The Hunger Games movie was going to be big when it seemed like everywhere I went … Continue reading
Hoping For a Ben Wade Noah
As regular readers (all 3 of you, thanks Mom!) of this blog are no doubt aware, I like movies a lot. I also am a fan of the Bible, so Bible movies are pretty much in my wheelhouse. (If only … Continue reading
Posted in Movie Reviews, Popular Culture
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Tikkun Olam = What I am Against
Here is the thing about tikkun olam: if you are going to write an entire article blasting people for using the term incorrectly, you really ought to get your facts straight, or at the very least do a tiny bit … Continue reading
Posted in Jewish Thought, Jewish world, Rabbi Thoughts
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