Tag: Judaism
The Willow Tree
My interfaith evolution is a lot like the magnificent willow tree: flowing, flexible, and adaptable. I was around eight years old when I began to grasp the concept of organized religion. The momentous... Read More
Story-telling and Story-listening: my Interfaith Journey
Maybe it’s just my struggle to socialize, but every time I meet someone new I’ve always wanted to have a story ready. For a few years it was describing the time I get held up in airport security f... Read More
Building Interfaith Connections on Campus: Potluck Style
I’ve been to a lot of potlucks in my life, but my favorite potluck was one that didn’t serve any food: the potluck of interfaith dialogue. While a potluck with no food may sound oxymoronic, I call... Read More
“When You Stand Praying … Forgive”
In summer of 2017, my wife and I taught a Sunday school series on the Jewishness of Jesus. It was not the first time we taught this topic. This delightfully progressive and thoughtful group was quick ... Read More
Being Teachable in Polarized Times
Shammai's error was to systematically give up on the teachability of his opponents...Hillel's practice suggests that we should delay as long as possible dismissing someone as a fool or foreclosing con... Read More
Speak Truth to Power: Pro-Refugee Protesting Experience
Recently, my wife and I attended a protest to express our opposition to President Trump’s executive order to ban refugees from the seven Muslim-majority countries on the list it contained. The prote... Read More
Stumbling Blocks: Conversion and the Israeli Rabbinate
The issue of conversion to Judaism has always been a topic of interest to me, as it is simultaneously an interfaith and intra-faith issue. Each of the denominations within Judaism has their own standa... Read More
Come and Eat: Breaking Bread on Ramadan
I recently attended an Iftar dinner at my synagogue, along with members of a Turkish Muslim interfaith institute. My rabbi gave a speech about how the Jewish and Islamic traditions understand t... Read More