April 17, 2013
3:44 pm

Boston and Jerusalem: Minuteman and Maccabee

Behind my desk there are two framed photos, panoramas taken at my two ancestral abodes, my homes: Boston and Jerusalem. Boston’s sometimes called the Athens of America and......

April 4, 2013
12:57 am

History Channel’s Brutal, Bloody “Bible”

Last month, I taught an introductory session for adults on the biblical book of Joshua. I informed the class about two things that they needed to know from the......

4

March 31, 2013
8:43 pm

Ranking Rabbis – and Congregants

Elsewhere on these pages, my colleague Dan Ornstein has kvetched about being unranked in the Newsweek / Daily Beast Top Fifty list for rabbis (and the Forward list......

March 8, 2013
4:26 am

Call me Ashke-Sephard, Pass the Pesach Hummus!

When I am in Boston before Passover, as I was this week, I love to go to the Butcherie on Harvard Street. They have the best knishes and a......

6

February 18, 2013
6:55 pm

Death and Downton

In Pirke Avot chapter 2, Rabbi Eliezer states: The honor of your fellow should be as precious to you as your own, and do not be......

February 14, 2013
2:13 pm

Valentines Day, SI’s Swimsuit Issue, Purim and the Jews

Dear Rabbi, Can Jews Celebrate Valentines Day? Dis-heartened Dear Dis-heartened, No need to be heart-broken. While we might ordinarily tend to shy away from holidays dedicated to saints, Valentines......

January 31, 2013
12:31 am

Guns and Moses

This week’s portion of Yitro includes the Ten Commandments, including that oft misinterpreted, “Thou shalt not kill.” The Hebrew word found there is not “kill,” but “murder.”......

13

January 18, 2013
7:05 pm

Is Racism Over for Jews?

On this weekend dedicated to the memory and legacy of Martin Luther King, when Barack Obama will again be sworn in as President, it is natural to assess the......

4

December 30, 2012
6:59 pm

Heschel’s 40th Yahrzeit: Beyond Survivalist Judaism

This erev New Year’s Eve also marks the 40th Yahrzeit for Abraham Joshua Heschel. My congregants spent this past Shabbat discussing the legacy of this great 20th century Jewish......

1

December 16, 2012
2:59 pm

Newtown: twenty grieving Hannahs

Today my county, my state and my country are in a state of deep shock, following the massacre at Newtown. For a rabbi, especially one living in such close......

10

December 6, 2012
8:00 pm

Gorbachev’s Revenge

This week recalls American Jewry’s shining moment, the 25th anniversary of the great Soviet Jewry rally that brought 250,000 people to Washington on the eve of a Reagan –......

7

December 2, 2012
2:22 am

Lincoln, Bibi and Facts on the Ground

I saw the film “Lincoln” last week and see parallels between the Palestinian and American Civil Wars. Lincoln understood that reunification with the South could never happen on the......

8

November 28, 2012
2:25 am

The woman who brought 400 rabbis to their feet: Susan Rice

As a supporter of Israel, I would be thrilled to see Susan Rice become Secretary of State. This became clear to me long before the recent controversy surrounding her appearances......

2

November 12, 2012
8:56 pm

The Voice of the Bridegroom, the Voice of the Bride

When Jeremiah the prophet waxed eloquently about a revived Jerusalem filled with cries of mirth and gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, the voice of the bride, it was clear......

November 7, 2012
6:09 pm

And the winner is…God

There were many winners and losers in Tuesday’s election, but perhaps the greatest winner of all was God. This will undoubtedly not be the conclusion of those who claim to......

4

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Joshua Hammerman

Rockower Award-winning journalist, father, husband, son, friend, poodle-owner, Red Sox fan and rabbi of Temple Beth El in Stamford, CT
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