Video: Hasid & Hipster – Unite The Beards
The Lubavitcher movement released a “Unite the Beards” video, inviting hipsters and Hasidim alike to come together in Brooklyn, N.Y.
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Religion & Ethics Newsweekly Video: Leaving Ultra-Orthodox Judaism
Ultra Orthodox Hasidic Jews observe the strict rules of the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, and its 613 commandments. But, for some, the lack of choices is too rigid, so they choose to leave, even though doing so can be very painful.
Canadians turning away from organized religion
TORONTO (RNS) A new national study shows that while Canada is still overwhelmingly Christian, Canadians are turning their backs on organized religion in ever greater numbers.
Congregations tend the soil and the soul with vegetable gardens
(RNS) Citing a line from Leviticus 25, “for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and settlers with me,” Chicago’s Robert Nevel spearheaded a congregational garden to benefit a local soup kitchen, saying, “We need to be stewards of the land.”
COMMENTARY: Creating connections by erasing boundaries
NEW YORK (RNS) Religious leaders worry about the decline of religion in America. I think their worry is misplaced. Faith is doing just fine, and it’s a great time to be seeking God.
How did a male-only yeshiva get $10.6 million in public funds?
TRENTON, N.J. (RNS) A top New Jersey Democrat says she is concerned about $10.6 million in public funds being awarded to an Orthodox yeshiva with admission standards that she says resemble a “religious test.”
Wide majorities of most U.K. faiths support assisted suicide
CANTERBURY, England (RNS) More than seven in 10 members of the Church of England and 56 percent of Roman Catholics in the United Kingdom support assisted suicide for the terminally ill, according to a new poll.
As Holocaust Museum turns 20, the ranks of survivors dwindle
WASHINGTON (RNS) Adult survivors of the Holocaust are largely gone, and those who survived as children won’t be around much longer. That’s why when the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum marks its 20th anniversary Monday, museum officials say it’s likely to be one the last large gatherings of survivors.
Jerusalem court upholds women’s prayer rights at Western Wall
JERUSALEM (RNS) Women who want to wear prayer shawls while praying in the women’s section of the Western Wall are not breaking the law, according to a landmark decision handed down Thursday (April 25) by the Jerusalem District Court.
French Jews face uncertain future after scandal
PARIS (RNS) After the country’s top rabbi resigned after admitting to plagiarism, the search begins for a new grand rabbi to lead Europe’s largest Jewish population amid questions about how inclusive French Judaism should be.
