Rabbi's Class Articles

ARTICLES FOR RABBI WOHLBERG'S
ADULT EDUCATION CLASS 6/16/21

6/9/21

A new museum in New Orleans puts the family histories of Southern Jews on display

Anti-Israel protesters block Zim cargo ship in Oakland, plan further actions

Coalition deal Kotel deal will implement egalitarian prayer section

Everything you need to know about the Israeli government that will replace Benjamin Netanyahu

Hamas was developing technology to jam Iron Dome system in bombed AP building, Israel says

Is Israel heading for its own Jan. 6

Norwegian Law would bring Anglos into Knesset

The New York Times called Isaac Bashevis Singer a Polish writer

These days David Hertz is a world leader in turning food into social change

Who is Naftali Bennett, Israel’s likely next prime minister

5/12/21

4 Myths and Facts About /the Violence in Jerusalem

As Gaza conflict escalates, here’s what American Jews think about Israel

Germany’s antisemitism commissioner urges ban on wearing yellow star to protest pandemic lockdowns

If you’re asking American Jews if they’re religious, you don’t understand American Jews

Pew’s new study of American Jews reveals widening divides, worries over antisemitism

Putting Pew's new survey into context How similar studies have shaped 3 decades of Jewish life

Rockets from Gaza batter Tel Aviv area, killing 1 and suspending air traffic

The fighting in Gaza, Jerusalem and across Israel, explained

What We’ve Lost in Rejecting the Sabbath

5/5/21

This Hungarian coffee cake is even better than babka

‘We are on our own’: French Jews on why they are protesting over Sarah Halimi, in their own words

Yosef Kleinman, the youngest survivor to testify at Eichmann trial, dies at 91

The Japanese Americans who helped liberate Dachau knew the shared history of anti-Jewish and anti-Asian hate

What will it take for me to go back to synagogue?

My son was at the Mount Meron disaster

Zoom fatigue is real for Jews, but even harder for Jewish women

The TikTok exec looking to spread Hasidic values

4/28/21

A House bill on Israel is flawed, but our Jewish civil war is worse

Artificial Intelligence Unlocks A New Secret of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Conservatives are more likely than liberals to hold anti-Semitic views, survey finds

For Jews and Armenians, two victories in the war on hate

In protest rallies, tens of thousands of Jews in France and beyond demand ‘justice for Sarah Halimi’

The Deli Celebrity

What you need to know about the violent clashes rocking Jerusalem this week

4/21/21
‘This is my dream’: NASA names two asteroids after Israeli student who discovered them

My father’s lesson: Jews must value labor even when they become management

‘Kids need camp this summer more than ever before’: What Jewish summer camp will look like this year

Why did Tucker Carlson talk about Israeli immigration policy? What you need to know about the white supremacist ‘open borders for Israel’ meme.

Dutch museum will pay $240K to owners of Nazi-looted painting it won’t return

Things We Should NOT Learn From ‘Shtisel’: Fertility and Jewish Law

A Satmar rebbe for a Shabbos

4/14/21

Calling any Jewish woman a ‘JAP’ is offensive — but not for the reason you think

Netanyahu struggles to build coalition as clock ticks

The Grief Crisis Is Coming

The Kahn family’s long, strange trip to the D.C. pot business

America is losing its religion

Counting the Omer, the Anti-Peloton

The Three-State Solution

Eichmann’s trial set the stage for more battles over the Shoah — including my own

Once the staple of New York politics, whatever became of the knish?

3/17/21
An Israeli woman was murdered by her husband. It sparked a national reckoning over domestic violence.
For over 40 years, this man bought millions of dollars of New York’s leavened bread products before Passover
Is a Long-Dismissed Forgery Actually the Oldest Known Biblical Manuscript
Sharren Haskel champions Israel’s liberal right wing
We need to talk about 'Kike' - how did the slur originate anyway?

3/10/21
Orthodox and secular Israelis are fighting over Jewish conversion. Why?
How a Southern Baptist woman launched a line of kosher cakes
Supreme Court ruling on conversions fuels Israeli campaign ads
BBC debate on whether Jews are an ethnic minority group sparks outrage
Swiss Jews join Muslims in protesting referendum banning face-covering veils
Sam Fuld played for Team Israel’s cinderella team. Now he’s trying to revamp the Philadelphia Phillies from the front office.
What happens when Rosh Hashanah falls on the first day of school? These districts are trying to figure it out.
From ‘Seinfeld’ to WWII Morocco, these new Haggadah options will spice up your Passover Seder
Vaccinations and tests enable some families to gather for Passover Seders this year

2/24/21
Israel offers compensation to families of missing children

Jew cookies are a Dutch dessert staple

Jews split over storied charity’s support for settlements

Joe and Bibi talked, but what does it all mean

Moved by her story, Pope Francis visits Holocaust survivor Edith Bruck at home in Rome

Report Israeli payment for Russian vaccines was part of exchange deal with Syri

The end of an era for Nazi hunters

We need to stop casting politicians as moral leaders

2/17/21
‘Who are we?: Asian-American Jews explore their identities in a new video project
Abraham Lincoln's Greatest Gift To The Jews

Flagship New Jersey yeshiva cancels Purim celebrations

Gulf Jews form umbrella body to make observance easier

Is the Jewish deli the new synagogue?
Israel briefly reopens Ben Gurion Airport for 302 immigrants from Ethiopia
Portuguese politician suggests that Israel’s vaccination success is because of Jewish financial power

2/10/21
A Blessing Too Good for Jews Alone
A Different Path to Ordination
French chief rabbi clashes with fellow communal leaders in debate over France’s Jewish future
In Orthodox communities where pregnancy is prized, vaccines and variants leave women confused and afraid
The Forgotten Story of the First Female Rabbi Is Finally Being Told
This deadly tragedy at a Yiddish performance is the reason it’s illegal to yell ‘fire!’ in a crowded theater
We are running out of time to preserve endangered Jewish languages - Here is how we can stop them from being lost forever
Why American Jews love

2/3/21

Secular Israelis are obsessed with traditional Judaism. Micah Goodman helps explain why.

For rabbis, America’s complex COVID-19 vaccine rollout means eligibility can come down to guesswork

The Jewish angles to the GameStop stock saga, explained

The Wisdom of Peanuts

Abraham Twerski, 90, Hasidic rabbi and psychiatrist who specialized in substance abuse

A tale of 2 Jewish Super Bowl linemen: Buccaneers’ Ali Marpet and Chiefs’ Mitchell Schwartz

Why Conspiracy Theorists Like Marjorie Taylor Greene Always Land on the Jews

1/27/21

Ugandan Jews Not Eligible to Immigrate to Israel, State Informs High Court

Secular Israelis are obsessed with traditional Judaism. Micah Goodman helps explain why.

Dutch panel picks author accused of anti-Semitism as keynote speaker for Holocaust memorial commemoration

In Israel, a Holocaust survivor has made falafel a symbol of Jewish resilience

Amanda Gorman's inauguration poem was beautiful and mighty -- no matter what your religion you may be

In Amsterdam, the personal card of every Holocaust victim returns to Jewish hands

Andrew Yang: My vision for New York City's Jewish Community

1/20/21

A Hasidic man faces prison for money laundering His lack of education is being used in a plea for leniency

Jewish community shaped by the Inquisition opens Portugal’s first Holocaust museum

Netanyahu's Parting Gift To Trump -A New Embassy Plot - Is An Empty Gesture

The Death of the Arab-Israeli Conflict

The Freedom Rider Rabbi Arrested on The Same Day As John Lewis

The IHRA definition of anti-Semitism and why people are fighting over it, explained

1/13/21
A Call For Moral Clarity

Brad Schneider among 3 House lawmakers said to have contracted COVID during siege of Congress
The Capitol siege rattled him, too. But Yoni Applebaum is more worried about 2024.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ted Cruz fight a Twitter battle over Holocaust analogies

Israel is having yet another election — could Netanyahu lose? Here are the basics.

Meet Christie Moore, the Portland oncologist who made a bracha on her vaccination
Men have dominated Jewish texts for most of history. These women are trying to change that.
The Holocaust Stole My Youth. Covid-19 Is Stealing My Last Years.

1/6/21
‘Blood is on your hands’ Antisemitism Cow returns one final time to rail at Twitter
5 things to know about Israel’s attention-grabbing COVID-19 vaccination spree
For Jews from the former Soviet Union, New Year’s Eve always involves a Christmas-style tree
Many Jews refrain from learning Torah on Christmas Eve and call it Nittel Nacht. Here’s my family tradition to spread light.
NY attorney general recuses herself from vaccine-fraud investigation into ParCare clinics, owned by a Hasidic supporter

12/16/20
Assault reported at Chabad of the Bluegrass menorah-lighting in Lexington, Kentucky
Floridians can now ‘Stand with Israel’ on their license plates
I knew Hanukkah celebrated defeating the Greeks
Rio inaugurates long-awaited Holocaust memorial with 72-foot-tall tower

12/9/20

From Kamala and Doug to Biden

Historical novel on Holland’s largest Holocaust rescue operation slammed for ‘awful’ errors

It’s time for the Jewish community to make a big push for Jews marrying Jews

Jewish women from North Africa have an awesome feminist Hanukkah tradition

Roald Dahl’s family apologizes ‘for the lasting and understandable hurt’ caused by his anti-Semitism

Roald Dahl’s Family Apologizes for His Anti-Semitism

Trump administration wants Holocaust restitution cases heard outside US. The Supreme Court seems skeptical.

12/2/20
Alejandro Mayorkas’ historic nomination is a wake up call: Stop erasing Sepharadim.

New data suggest Birthright effect on Jewish marriage, connection to Israel lasts up to 2 decades

Birthright’s insulting obsession with intermarriage is erasing young Jews

Birthright Has Failed Young Jews, But Not For The Reason You Think.

Justice Neil Gorsuch suggested New York’s COVID restrictions hold back Orthodox Jewish women. The truth is far more complicated.

Thank You, Justice Gorsuch.

Why would the government of Israel undermine the legacy of Yad Vashem?

11/18/20
HBO series ‘Valley of Tears’ reopens wounds of the Yom Kippur War

Israeli Knesset members propose giving Diaspora Jews a formal role in Israeli affairs
We need Thanksgiving more than ever this year

Praying through the second wave: Expert advice on staying safe

What Gentiles Can Learn From Lord Sacks

11/11/20
Will American Jews ever be unified again? Abe Foxman remains an optimist.
Nonprofits use tech to match study partners on hows, whys of Shabbat unplugging
This Jewish teen created a daily news digest, The Cramm, read by millions worldwide

The New Jewish Vote
Sacks: What Is Anti-Semitism?

Jesuit Catholic priest pens book about his order’s complicity in the Holocaust

11/4/20
A small but growing number of Orthodox rabbis are officiating same-sex weddings
A widely circulated video showed Jews being harassed at Black Lives Matter protest.
The attacker is part of a fringe group.

Israel’s Right-Wing Losers

It’s 2020 and anti-Semitism is an electoral tactic again

Satmar rabbi denounces Borough Park protests

The Jewish Faucis Orthodox doctors battle COVID — and disinformation — in Orthodox
communities

10/28/20
France is cracking down on radical Islam – with the blessing of its Jewish minority
Secular Synagogues Take Root in Israel
United States of Anxiety: The new fears of American Jews

The global proportion of Jews living in Europe is as low as it was 1,000 years ago. And the future there doesn’t look bright.

The Halloween Dilemma

10/21/20

Judge Amy Barrett helped me protect public menorahs. I know she’ll help defend religious liberty for all

What is a ‘moser’? The ugly, complicated history of Judaism’s most dangerous accusation

‘It’s totally irresponsible’: How New York Jews feel watching the unrest in Borough Park

Israeli Oppression Comes to Durham

Right-wing, ultra-Orthodox parties accused of plotting ‘takeover’ at World Zionist Congress

Pastors wrapped in Torah: Why so many Christians are appropriating Jewish ritual

7/22/20

Charles Barkley calls out Black sports figures, celebrities for anti-Semitism

Why celebrities keep quoting Louis Farrakhan — despite his anti-Semitism

The Anti-Semitism We Didn’t See

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Where Is the Outrage Over Anti-Semitism in Sports and Hollywood?

Twitter Explained | What’s Your #JewishPrivilege?

John Lewis and the Jews: 6 moments that showcase an enduring alliance

In the Talmud, God admits He’s wrong. There’s a lesson there about free speech.

6/24/20

8 American Monuments Celebrating Anti-Semites

A California synagogue memorialized Judah Benjamin, the Confederacy’s most prominent Jew. Here’s how that changed.

Israel’s interior minister again seeks to end conversions outside of state’s Chief Rabbinate

At a German train station, a unique memorial is dedicated to Jews deported to their death

TikTok social media platform users target young people with anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, study finds

‘Let him drive the kids home’: Orthodox lawmakers advise civil disobedience as suit filed against sleepaway camp ban

6/17/20
Alumni call on Jewish day schools to do more to fight racism

How our growing consensus against racism turned into a moral panic
You Don't Have to Choose Between Black Lives Matter and Israel

3 Orthodox Jews and 2 Catholic priests sue over NY restrictions on houses of worship

Mother of Palestinian man with autism killed by police calls for footage of his death to be released

Calls to defund the police put Jewish institutions in a tough position

6/10/20

‘Believe us’: Black Jews respond to the George Floyd protests, in their own words

The Quiet Demise of the Separation of Church and State

The Palestinian appropriation of black pain

We Orthodox Jews have been largely complacent about racism. It’s time to change that.

The protesters are praying with their feet. Why can’t we pray in our shuls?

5/20/20
In Israel, Modern Medicine Grapples With Ghosts of the Third Reich

Italian Synagogues and Churches Reopen, but with Fewer Worshippers Allowed

George Washington University Stands By Appointment of Interim Dean Who Backs Boycott Israel Movement

Conservative Movement Allows Livestreaming on Shabbat and Holidays During Pandemic

Defense Secretary Mark Esper Wants to Remove US Troops From the Sinai Peninsula. Key Democrats and Republicans Disagree.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz Calls on VA To Replace Headstones Inscribed With Swastikas

The First Kosher Wine In A Can Has Arrived

Healing Hands

5/13/20
2019 saw the most anti-Semitic incidents in at least 40 years, ADL says
Dr. Fauci High Holiday services are possible, but many hurdles remain

How the ultra-Orthodox plan to reopen safely: No women, no children

Lag b’Omer is traditionally a day of Jewish weddings. What will happen under social distancing
Technology makes Jewish education more accessible. We must ensure the tradeoff isn’t our values.

5/6/20
Israel is ready to reopen. I’m not.
I’m a statistician. Closing camp because of corona is a huge mistake.
Our True Colors
Synagogue jumps to revise slogan slammed as sexist for linking women and whining
Down the tubes: How Israel’s poop may help prevent second coronavirus wave
High Court pans coalition deal, but signals no ruling until relevant laws passed
Today, we’re mourning the loss of our social spaces. Tomorrow, let’s redesign them.
Letter from Los Angeles: Love in the time of coronavirus
Wearing a face mask? You’re doing a mitzvah. Make a brachah!

4/29/20

Israel’s population grows slightly to nearly 9.2 million on eve of Independence Day

Israel’s tracking of coronavirus carriers is out unless Knesset makes it a law, Supreme Court rules

Belgian police charge 3 for commemorating Holocaust in violation of coronavirus rules

One year after Poway attack, Lori Gilbert-Kaye remembered at memorial as ‘beautiful,’ inside and out

Sirens wail throughout Israel at start of Memorial Day — then there was a Western Wall ceremony with no audience

Yair Lapid once allied with Benny Gantz. Now he wants to keep him from becoming prime minister.

Dramatic, socially distanced protests against Israel’s government deal continue in Tel Aviv

Counting the Omer in a World Without Time

Bereaved families plead for reconciliation at joint Israeli-Palestinian memorial

The handshake is dead. Long live the…

Stop shaking hands. Do this instead

4/22/20

Rotation, annexation et al: Key elements of the Netanyahu-Gantz coalition deal

Netanyahu said to favor curfew on Independence Day, Ramadan nights

With services online, many synagogues are seeing greater attendance — at least for now

Netanyahu’s Power Is Extended as Rival Accepts Israel Unity Government

Worldwide population of 14.7 million Jews falls well short of pre-World War II numbers

Jerusalem’s Old City, virtual reality edition: A game brings quarantined people around the world into the holy neighborhood

Holocaust trivialization at protests isn’t just offensive. It threatens democracy

Why do we still remember the Holocaust? To be inspired

4/1/20

Israelis Could Face Random Coronavirus Tests at Supermarkets

Pastor Says Spread of Coronavirus in Synagogues is Punishment from God

Devastation Looming on the Upper West Side

Benjamin Netanyahu’s rival just agreed to stop fighting and join him. Here’s why.

Grieving my husband prepared me for this pandemic

I left the Satmar Hasidic community. ‘Unorthodox’ is a grossly inaccurate depiction of that world.