Do We Love Our Daughters Less Than They Do Theirs? This week, we mark International Aguna Day, traditionally held on Ta’anit Esther, the fast on Purim eve. (An aguna is a Jewish woman who is “chained” to her marriage.) BY KENNETH BRANDER | MARCH 13, 2019 “All the books of the prophets and all the holy …
Freedom is not with the Rabbinical Court By Pnina Omer – Jerusalem Post Oped, 10/6/2018 In a recent column, USA based attorney Alan Dershowitz protested the detainment of a US citizen in Israel, a citizen whose sole crime, according to Dershowitz, is the fact that he happens to have a son who refuses to give a religious …
Rogel, a Religious Woman is Not a Chair Pnina Omer – 31/10/2018 Last week, Rogel Alpher published a column in Haaretz in which he related to Tzvia Gorodetzky, an aguna, or chained woman. In order to illustrate your opinion of Tzvia’s status in marriage, Alpher labeled her a “chair,” a “piece of property” and a …
Pittsburgh Strong According to statistics released by the FBI, of the approximately 3,000 hate crimes committed against religious groups in the US in 2016, more than half were committed against Jews. By Rabbi Kenneth Brander | October 31, 2018 A whirlwind of emotions has swept up Jews worldwide in the wake of the shocking and …
The Message and its Messenger We have the opportunity to become the “authors” of the prayers we read and the Torah we study through internalizing their messages and personifying their ideals. By Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander – September 4, 2018 With the long days of summer winding down, we can anticipate the swelling of our synagogue …
July 4, 2018 The Disintegration of the Chief Rabbinate by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin From the very beginning of the establishment of our Jewish state, it certainly was assumed that the institution of the Chief Rabbinate would have control over the religious services provided by the state: marriage and divorce, kashrut and conversion, at the very …
“The Miracle of Mazal Dadon” by Pnina Omer – 10/6/2018 Mazal Dadon received her freedom recently from her recalcitrant husband, Yaron Atias, who for many years had refused to grant her a“get,” or Jewish writ of divorce. The entire country celebrated this happy event that touched all of our hearts. How sad that an entire country …
‘RELIGIOUS COERCION VS. RELIGIOUS CONVICTION’ BY RABBI SHLOMO RISKIN – JANUARY 29, 2018 By inspiring love, we must attempt to express the glories of Shabbat. And love means accepting with love even those who decide to reject the laws of Shabbat. ‘And the entire nation responded together and said, ‘Everything the Lord has spoken we shall …
“Shabbat is Meaningful to Everyone” by Rabbanit Devorah Evron Jerusalem Post Op-Ed – 18/1/2018 Over the last few months, Shabbat has evolved from being the Day of Rest to being the focal point of a fiery verbal boxing match. The concept of Shabbat in the Israeli public sphere has remained in the headlines, beginning with the …
Jerusalem Post | Magazine – 11/10/2017 In an article in this weekend’s Jerusalem Post Magazine (11/10/2017), Pnina Omer, Director of Yad La’isha: The Monica Dennis Goldberg Legal Aid Center and Hotline, reminds readers that, “The spirit of the Halacha is to do everything possible to release agunot from their chains and be lenient in the laws relating …
“There is no Comparison” by Pnina Omer Jerusalem Post Op-Ed – 12/7/2017 Earlier this week, Kan – the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation – aired a segment called “Trapped Men,” which exposed the issue of men being denied a get (a religious divorce). The report showed that female recalcitrance is a widespread yet silenced phenomenon, because women’s …
“From the Heights of Women’s Day to the Depths of Aguna Day” by Pnina Omer Jerusalem Post Op-Ed – 9/3/2017 This week was marked by the powerful convergence of two important days: International Women’s Day, which is observed each year on March 8, and International Aguna Day, commemorated annually on the Fast of Esther, which this …
