Latest Articles
Israel’s Ultra-Orthodox Jews Won’t Serve in the Army; U.S. Jews Need to Speak Up
This week Israel’s Cabinet is planning to discuss, and possibly approve, a contentious bill that would continue to exempt ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students from being drafted into the army. Exemptions extended to virtually all ultra-Orthodox – or Haredi – Jews will expire at the end of the month, by order of the Supreme Court, and all segments of Israeli society have entered the fray, proposing...
read more Why Most American Jews Oppose an Immediate End to the War in Gaza
Most U.S. Jews and Israelis oppose an unconditional cease-fire. But how should we respond to the young American Jews who vociferously criticize Israel’s “atrocities” and the Biden administration’s policies, and call for the shooting to stop now? I usually am hesitant to write during wartime. But when American Jews are agonizing about the war and expressing so much...
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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 
