A Note on the Origins of the Avinu Malkeinu Prayer
Matia Kam

Avinu Malkeinu, Our Father our Sovereign, is a special prayer recited on the Days of Awe (and on days of fast). It is customary to recite the prayer in the synagogue, in the morning (Shaharit) and during the afternoon (Minha) service. In most Jewish communities, this prayer is recited standing, as the Holy Ark is open. In Ashkenazi communities the Avinu Malkeinu is not recited on Shabbat, with the exception of Neilah at the end of Yom Kippur when it is included in the service.(1) In Sephardi communities the Avinu Malkeinu is recited on Shabbat though parts of it are also omitted in honor of Shabbat. read more

THE JEWISH PLURALIST WISHES YOU
SHANAH TOVAH

and

G’MAR HATIMA TOVAH

MAY YOU BE INSCRIBED IN THE BOOK OF LIFE, AND MAY WE ALL HAVE A YEAR OF PEACE, JUSTICE, EQUALITY AND HUMAN DIGNITY

Thoughts on Scotland
Peter Eisenstadt

I don’t know how I feel about Scottish independence. On the one hand, why not? Why shouldn’t the principle of self-determination and sovereignty, which has been extended to 206 or so nations around the world, not include Scotland, with its thousand years of history? Why should Scotland be forever tied to England? On the other hand, why? What will Scotland really gain that it currently lacks? Should this permanent divorce be decided on current political issues, which by their very nature, are ephemeral? What are the causes, the burning issues, that require a separation? And how will this separation work? If Scotland keeps the pound sterling and the queen, as the Scottish Nationalist Party has pledged to do, what, really does independence mean? read more

A Jewish Grandma’s Thoughts About Climate Change
Deborah L.R. Kornfeld

On a sunny day, after an evening rainfall, you might find me in the garden pulling weeds, solving problems, worrying, and dreaming. I wasn’t always able to spend time in the garden. We had years and years where we were so busy with work and children we barely had time to breathe. Now our children have grown, married and we are enjoying the bonus and blessing of grandchildren. I am a safta and as a safta I worry about the world I am leaving to my grandchildren. read more

Ben Gurion: The Book of Jonah and the Value of a Human Being
Matia Kam

The book of Jonah is read as the Haftrah on the afternoon of Yom Kippur prior to the Minhah service. The book of Jonah illustrates God’s compassion for every living thing—human and nonhuman—and therefore reflects the special meaning of the Days of Awe. Unlike other festivals, the High Holy Days are not national celebration but are days of judgment of humans and the world—all that inhabit the world and its nations as well. Thus High Holy Days have a two-fold aspect: a general, universal aspect as well as a particular and interpersonal one. They highlight the standing of both the individual and the community (tzibur) before God, as seen in the actions of the people of Nineveh and of Jonah in the whale—in prayer, in repentance and in hopes for mercy, compassion and forgiveness. read more

Reexamining the NFL Response to Domestic Violence:
Why is No One Listening to Janay Rice?
Ahavya Deutsch

Domestic violence is complicated because victims may not want to end their relationship with the abusers, or to see him/her prosecuted.

As a victim advocate, I see my role as restoring power to the victim by listening to what she tells me she wants (although I try to tell them my concerns and lay out their options). Ultimately, the victims must make their own decision, because they are the one who must live with the consequences of their actions. Once that decision is made, I try not to judge a victim who has made a decision I don’t agree with, since the victim has more information than I do about their circumstances. read more