Joel Smith

A Jew who thinks for himself

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Sep 3, 2020, 11:17 AM

Maybe it’s just a question of emphasis

I acknowledge the centrality of Torah as the religion of the Jews. It's our foundation, and culture shared by people now living all over the world. But in this matter, I am a progressive. I wish to discuss what I...

Aug 23, 2020, 12:11 AM

the finger that points at the moon

I would say, using a phrase from Zen Buddhist literature, Torah is only "the finger that points to the moon". Our allegiance to our ancestors is..."a fine thing". The religious, historical, and wisdom literature of the Jewish people is...it goes...

Aug 11, 2020, 11:13 PM

An Open Letter to the Palestinian People

First of all, know that I am an old American and have no ties to the governments of either the U.S.A. or Israel (and I definately am not C.I.A.). I have been watching (from a distance) the struggle between...

Aug 9, 2020, 6:39 PM

Israel addresses the United Nations

Esteemed representatives of the community of nations....I represent Israel, and I beg you to consider carefully what I have to say to you today because if you will not be fair when you sit in judgement of a member...

Aug 7, 2020, 11:29 PM

Concerning a two state solution

I write as an American, not an Israeli, but I care very much not only about the state of Israel, but about its fate. In my humble opinion...the way forward for Israel is a two state solution, not a...

Aug 3, 2020, 9:59 PM

Notes regarding Gd.

It seems to me that when all is said and done, we are (as Mathew Arnold says in "Dover Beach") we are living here where "ignorant armies clash by night". Gd, for reasons beyond our ken, stays out of...

Jul 18, 2020, 7:12 PM

Concepts of God 2

Somewhere in the Talmud the question is raised..."Why do we say here "the Gd of Abraham, the Gd of Isaac, and the Gd of Jacob? Why not simply say the Gd of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?" The answer given...

Jul 15, 2020, 8:15 PM

"Words and concepts referring to phenomena related to psychic or mental experience develop and grow or deteriorate with the person to whose experience they refer. They change as he changes; they have a life as he has a life." These...

Jul 14, 2020, 10:05 PM

This being my first blog, I think I should introduce myself, and give you an idea of what I'll be writing about. I am an old Jew, originally from Chicago, well educated, well traveled, well worn, and well...eager to...

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About Me

Born and raised in Chicago, 1938. Both my parents Jewish. Bar mitzvahed, and supposedly Conservative. U. of Ill. B.A. then 2 years in the army, then to the U of Montana, M.A., M.F.A. Taught, drove a cab in Chicago, spent some years in CA. Was mentored by Noah ben Shea in a Religious Studies program at International College. Traveled internationally. Spent 1975 and 6 in Israel. Painted (I'm an artist). Held 15 jobs (including teaching English in several countries). Managed to buy 3 acres of country in north Florida where I live today doing things that please me.

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