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May 11, 2024, 9:37 PM

Two Nations are in Your Womb

“Two nations are in your womb; two peoples are to part from you…” Like the matriarch Rivka (Rebecca), the UN back in 1947 had two nations in its womb: a Jewish state, to be called Israel, and a Palestinian state....

May 1, 2024, 1:12 AM

Israelis need a dose of love to counteract October 7th’s explosion of violent hatred. As Secretary of State Blinken tours the region and rumors continue to swirl about Saudi Arabia’s potential recognition of Israel, the situation in Israel merits...

Feb 4, 2024, 6:41 PM

Zionism is dead. Long live Israel

There is a time when certain words have outlived their usefulness. I believe that “Zionism” is a word whose time has come and gone. I first discovered a problem with the word some fifty years ago when I was a...

Nov 16, 2023, 9:24 AM

What is Needed Now

Demonstrations in Israel and the world are urging the return of the hostages and support for Israel war of extermination against Hamas; opposing rallies in the Arab world and around the globe are calling for a ceasefire, humanitarian aid...

Dec 28, 2022, 8:32 PM

Whoopi Goldberg is right; so is the ADL

Earlier this year, Whoopi Goldberg said that the Nazi-led genocide known as the Holocaust was “white on white” violence. Her comments that landed her a two-week suspension from “The View.” Recently in an interview with Sunday Times of London,...

Aug 27, 2022, 9:32 AM

Against the ‘Judeo-Christian Tradition’

Some American politicians like to claim that their policies are based on the values of the Judeo-Christian tradition. For Jews, there are no Judeo-Christian values and the Judeo-Christian tradition is a myth. Let’s be clear: “Judeo-Christian values” is only Christian supercessionism...

Jun 24, 2022, 7:24 PM

Religious Freedom and the Right to Abortion

Roe v. Wade was based on the Supreme Court’s decision that the Constitution includes a right to privacy and thus a woman’s right to determine whether or not she needs an abortion, i.e. what happens to her own body....

Jun 1, 2022, 5:49 PM

Poor Shavuot! It lacks the kind of home observance—like seders, matza and maror for Pesach; sukkahs, lulavs and etrogs for Sukkot; latkes, gifts and menorahs for Hanukkah—that would endear it to the people. On Shavuot, if you don’t go...

Feb 5, 2022, 6:45 PM

The Crisis in Ukraine

Perhaps because I grew up in Canada I look at American foreign policy through a different lens than other Americans, but I am having a hard time accepting the US government’s claims regarding Russian intentions in Ukraine. We being told...

Sep 27, 2021, 1:27 AM

Pondering Creation (Thoughts on Genesis 1)

Rabbi Yonah said in the name of Rabbi Levi: Why was the world created with a “ב" (bet)? Just as a bet is closed on all sides and open in the front, so you are not permitted to say,...

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About Me

Anson Laytner is a happily retired liberal rabbi whose career focused on building positive interfaith and interethnic relations in the Seattle area. As a volunteer, Laytner is president of the Sino-Judaic Institute and has edited its journal, Points East, for the last 38 years. He is the author of six books, most recently “Choosing Life After Tragedy” and the novel "The Forgotten Commandment." Visit him as his website www.ansonlaytner.com.

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