Min haMuvhar

Is Judaism Compatible with Democracy?

For democratic Orthodoxy, the ideal Jew is a moral agent who knows how to determine “what is right and good” (Deut.  6:18), who is prepared to hold Jewish leaders to account, and who is faithful to Torah’s norms and to one’s own Torah informed moral compass. The democratic Orthodox Jew challenges human authority when that authority conflicts with Torah’s norms.

Campus Fellows Report: March 2020

To our members and friends

 

We congratulate our Campus Fellows for their ongoing programming through this difficult time of COVID-19. They have transitioned to Zoom and other technologies to reach their peers, and now their programs are available to students on other campuses. We appreciate how our Ideas and Ideals are bringing meaningful discussion to students everywhere.

Thoughts on Anti-Semitism

The disease of anti-Semitism has persisted through the generations and continues today, with all its false accusations, paranoia and dangerous consequences. How are we to cope with this deep-seated irrationalism? How are we to explain this to our children and grandchildren?

Darkness that Leads to Enlightenment: Thoughts for Parashat Bo

The plague of darkness might symbolize the need to periodically clear our minds and re-evaluate our assumptions. In the darkness and quiet of our inner selves, we can try to shed light on our opinions, values, attitudes and behaviors. An old proverb has it that “no one is so blind as the one who refuses to see.” We might offer an addendum to this proverb: “and no one sees so clearly as the one who has first experienced darkness.”