Latest Articles
American Jews Should Know How Ultra-Orthodox Jews Are Tearing Israel Apart
By supporting despicable laws enshrining their exemption from army service, the political leaders of Israel’s million-strong ultra-Orthodox community are betraying a core tenet of mutual responsibility. But the real reason for their indifference to the rest of the Jewish world isn’t about theology at all. American Jews are looking on in dismay as ultra-Orthodox leaders tear the...
read more For the Sin We, the Jewish People, Have Committed: A Yom Kippur Reckoning With Israel
We defended the war in Gaza, which began a just war and then became something else, but we continued to offer the war our support. Now that a possibility exists to finally end the fighting, will we have the courage to repent for our sin and do what must be done to end the slaughter and the suffering? Ten times during Yom Kippur prayers, the following words are said: “Ashamnu, Bagadnu,...
read more Zohran Mamdani Has Many Virtues. But He’s Also a Virulent, Relentless Hater of Israel
Before and after the election, my plea to the Jewish citizens of New York City is: Use mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s Democratic Party primary victory to educate people about Israel. Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, is charming, attractive, bright and a natural politician. Energetic, enormously talented and only thirty-three years old, in the Democratic...
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Progressive Judaism Won’t Surrender to the Ultra-Orthodox at the WZO
Jews of the Diaspora who are committed to Israel treasure the opportunity to engage in Zionist work under government auspices and to choose their own representatives to Congress deliberations. The 38th World Zionist Congress concluded its first-ever virtual session last Thursday night, following three days of hectic, contentious meetings.The take-away for most American Jews was this: The...
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Funeral Fiascos: Should Jews Rethink How We Honor the Dead?
A friend of mine recently attended the funeral of someone he had known for many years. About a dozen people got up to speak. Most of them spoke badly. Often the eulogizers ended up talking not about the deceased but about themselves. When the funeral was finally over, at least an hour and a half later, my friend was frustrated and angry. “I cared about this person,” he said, “and she deserved a...
read more We Will Not Give Up on Gun Control
This article was published on April 18, 2013. Sadly, it is very relevant today Our leaders have failed us, again. And I don’t know about you, but as a religious person, I’m angry. Approximately 90 percent of the American people believe that their fellow Americans should undergo a background check before they are permitted to purchase a gun. But the legislation mandating those...
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Why I’m Thankful for America’s Immigrants and Religion
These reflections on the 4th of July, written in 2014 for Time Magazine, seem even more relevant in the Trump Era. The Fourth of July is nearly upon us. As always, we Americans will barbeque in our backyards, watch fireworks, and celebrate America. And there is much to celebrate. Americans are informal and down-to-earth. We introduce ourselves by our first names to practically everyone. We say...
read more The Problem With No-Share Parenting
A child who is 3 or 4 can be conditioned to share, to empathize, and to be generous. Don’t force your toddler to share. In fact, don’t encourage it all. It’s not even good for your child. Parents who insist that their kids “take turns” and give up their toys to other children on the playground are doing it mostly because they don’t want to be embarrassed in front of other parents. In short, we...
read more Six Shared Values and the American Jewish Future
American Jews are a fractious lot. Our religious differences are real and important. Our community, after all, is known for its passionate pluralism, which in many ways is a blessing and a source of strength. I recently read an interesting take on these differences in a blog post by David Strulowitz published on the Wexner Foundation site. Mr. Strulowitz provides a fascinating and...
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Rabbi Eric Yoffie is a writer, lecturer, and internationally-known religious leader. A bold, compelling, and inspiring speaker, he has presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos and has appeared on Fox news, CNN, and many other news outlets. He writes regularly for Time, The Huffington Post, The Jerusalem Post and the Israeli daily Haaretz. He speaks on a 
