THE JEWISH PLURALIST WISHES YOU
A MEANINGFUL YOM KIPPUR

HERE IS A PRAYER OF REFLECTION THAT I FOUND AND PLAN TO INCLUDE IN THE LITURGY

SHANAH TOVAH: MAY IT BE A YEAR OF DEMOCRACY

As we prepare for Rosh Hashanah on Sunday night, we feel an added urgency this year to share with our readers a prayer for our country. For centuries, a prayer for the country has been included in prayer books in Jewish communities around the world. The prayer is recited right after the morning Torah service in synagogues, on the Sabbath and on Holy Days. The following prayer is taken from the Rosh Hashanah Mishkan Hanefesh Mahzor for the Days of Awe:

“God of holiness, we hear Your message: Justice, Justice you shall pursue. God of freedom, we hear Your charge: Proclaim liberty throughout the land. Inspire us through Your teachings and commandments to love and uphold our precious democracy. Let every citizen take responsibility for the rights and freedoms we cherish. Let each of us be an advocate for justice, an activist for liberty, a defender of dignity. And let us champion the values that make our nation a haven for the persecuted, a beacon of hope among the nations. read more

THE JEWISH PLURALIST WISHES YOU

SHANAH TOVAH

A YEAR FILLED WITH BLESSINGS, WISDOM, AND PEACE

This morning our local Jewish Community Center received a bomb threat.

Rochester, NY the city of Susan B. Anthony and Fredrick Douglas, a community with a long rich history of Jewish immigration and philanthropy, is facing a wave of anti-Semitism.

Since the political rise of Donald Trump, Rochester has seen hateful defaming pamphlets, desecration of Jewish cemeteries, and now a despicable bomb threat to the JCC. This is a place where parents bring infants and children to daycare and seniors come daily for sociability. read more

THE JEWISH PLURALIST IS SHAPED BY IDEAS OF PLURALISM, JUSTICE, PEACE AND HUMAN DIGNITY. 

WE WISH OUR READERS A HAPPY HANUKKAH AND A MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Well, during the primaries there were some foolish people, Susan Sarandon comes to mind, who argued that she didn’t care if Hillary or Trump won the election, because a Trump victory would just “heighten the contradictions” and give the left an opportunity. (Note: No need to re-argue the primaries; there were about 500 better reasons to vote for Sanders.) Anyway, Sarandon and all the little Lenins of the left got their wish; the contradictions are being heightened daily, and growing vertiginously. read more

For the millions that will lose insurance if Obamacare is repealed please call Paul Ryan. It takes about two minutes and it is  literally life and death for so many people.

Paul Ryan is conducting a phone poll on the ACA (Obamacare), hoping to hear overwhelming popular opposition to it. If you would like to express your support for the Affordable Care Act, call 202-225-0600.  There is 20 to 25 seconds of silence, then the recording comes on so don’t hang up.

Press 2 to weigh in on the issue. read more

THE JEWISH PLURALIST WISHES YOU

SHANAH TOVAH

A YEAR FILLED WITH BLESSINGS, WISDOM, AND PEACE

I have always been an avid theatergoer. Klári, one of my friends at lycée, and I went to the theater every Saturday afternoon from the time we were fourteen years old. Fortunately, my mother considered the viewing of a play a culturally enriching experience and approved my regular attendance. I became infatuated with a matinée idol by the time I was fifteen. Had my mother known about my crush on an actor she would have responded with extreme distress and grounded me for at least a month. For a while I was content with worshiping the object of my infatuation from my orchestra seat, but after a couple of months this became less than satisfactory and my mind was busily at work hatching a variety of plans to secure a personal encounter. read more