Once again the Knesset of Israel is trying to mess with Israel’s Law of Return. The Law of Return ensures that every Jew has a right to emigrate to Israel.    The right-wingers are trying to exert their religious power to further erode the Diaspora Jewish communities’ religious authority in the area of conversion.  They are trying…Read more »

The Central Conference of American Rabbis at its San Francisco Conference this past week reaffirmed its opposition to discrimination in the armed forces of the United States. It specifically reinforced its opposition to the heinous Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy aimed at ousting gay men and lesbians who are on active duty. Rabbis serve as…Read more »

Constance Leighann McMillen is one courageous high school senior.  This young woman wanted to take her girlfriend to her prom. This is the night that caps a young person’s high school life.  And in the south it is really seen as the pinnacle of high school.  But the prom was cancelled because of the homophobia of the Itawamba High School Administration.  The…Read more »

Parshat Vaykhel/Pekude Exodus 35:1 -40:38 We have made our way this week to the end of the book of Exodus. This double portion brings to a close the immediate part of the liberation story from Egypt to Sinai to Ten Commandments to building the Tabernacle. The portions include the building and making of all the…Read more »

Today I had a wonderful visit with Rabbi Uri Regev.  Rabbi Regev is formerly the head of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, world-wide umbrella of Progressive congregations.  Rabbi Regev was the founding director of the Reform movement’s Israel Religious Action Center in Jerusalem and is also an attorney.  He lives in Jerusalem but is…Read more »

Last night at the annual convention of the Central Conference of American Rabbis we celebrated 20 years since the passage of a resolution allowing the ordination of openly gay and lesbian rabbis. In a beautiful evening service written and coördinated by Rabbi Yoel Kahn of Berkeley, CA, more than a dozen gay and lesbian and transgender colleagues led…Read more »

The recent investigative reporting by the South Florida Gay News and blogger Wayne Besen of Truth Wins Out has uncovered the ex-gay movement’s latest scandal.  See my previous blog Beware Con Man About – Beware about the founder of the Jewish ex-gay movement  Arthur Abba Goldberg.  Goldberg founded and runs, JONAH -Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality.…Read more »

My synagogue, Kol Ami  is less than a mile from the red carpet of the Oscars.  On Oscar Sunday today the limos are already lined up.  There are no parking signs outside the synagogue and the traffic is a snarl as Hollywood Boulevard is closed off to keep the Kodak Theatre and the stars and starlets…Read more »

Parshat Ki Tissa/ Shabbat Parah Exodus 30:11-34:35  This week’s Torah Portion, Ki Tissa contains several of the most dramatic moments in the Torah.  This is the week when the Children of Israel demand that Aaron build them a molten calf.  Hence this week’s special name–Shabbat Parah–the Sabbath of the Calf.  Not only do they demand…Read more »