Faith: Jewish
“Rather than to try to change God, prayer should change us, should make us better human beings. That is the ultimate purpose of prayer,” says Cantor Abraham Lubin of Congregation Beth El in Bethesda, Maryland. We spoke with him as he prepared for the high holidays. More
One of the consequences of the Holocaust was its effect on the faith of observant Jews. How could a just God have permitted such a tragedy? Today, the personal story, in his words, of Menachem Daum, a New York television producer whose parents were both Holocaust survivors. More
Deborah Rosenthal is a respected artist who is also an observant Jew. As a result, her work is often infused with her religious beliefs. Recently, she was asked by the conservative Jewish congregation to which she belongs to create two stained glass windows for its sanctuary. For the commission, she chose two objects drawn from Jewish faith and Jewish history. More
While a Bris, or circumcision ritual, has been the traditional way for Jews to welcome baby boys into the covenant, many families are now creating rituals to welcome their baby daughters. More
These young musicians have picked up where their grandparents left off, reviving and revitalizing the old tradition of klezmer by bringing it back to Jews and also extending its reach beyond the Jewish audience. More
BOB ABERNETHY (anchor): On our calendar this week, the beginning of Passover. At the Passover feast, or seder, Jews retell the story of their ancestors’ exodus from slavery in Egypt. We sat in on that retelling by fifth graders … More
SAMUEL FREEDMAN: Tenafly, New Jersey, is a suburb of 16,000 people, nearly half of them Jewish, just across the Hudson River from New York City. They are mostly affluent professionals who were drawn by the town’s public schools, nature … More
Read excerpts from R & E’s interview with Lewis Rambo, author of the book UNDERSTANDING RELIGIOUS CONVERSION. More
Tolerant attitudes toward faith-seeking have made religious conversions more common. Still, choosing a new religion is usually a major decision — for converts and their families. In the first of a two-part series, R & E looks at the experience of John Curry, principal of a school for at-risk students in New York. More
Jews represent just over two percent of the U.S. population. But they’ve become a key voting bloc, sought after by candidates across the political spectrum. How did they react to the nomination of Senator Joe Lieberman as the Democratic party’s vice presidential candidate? More