Judaism

Israel is a Jewish nation, but its population is far from a monolith

Retrieved on: 
Friday, February 9, 2024

In Israel’s single largest casualty event since the Gaza invasion began in October 2023, 21 Israeli soldiers were killed in an explosion on Jan. 22, 2024.

Key Points: 
  • In Israel’s single largest casualty event since the Gaza invasion began in October 2023, 21 Israeli soldiers were killed in an explosion on Jan. 22, 2024.
  • 1st Class Cedrick Garin, a 23-year-old Filipino-Israeli whose mother came to the country to work before he was born.
  • Hamas’ roughly 240 hostages, for example, were nationals of 25 different countries, including Thailand, Nepal, the Philippines and Tanzania.
  • Hamas kidnapped Muslim citizens of Israel alongside Jewish Israelis, Americans and other dual nationals.

Israel’s diversity

  • Much smaller groups of Israeli Jews were born in Africa and Asia, in countries including India and Uzbekistan.
  • Roughly 20% of Israelis are Arab, including Muslims, Christians and Druze, a group of people who observe a distinct monotheistic religion.
  • Another 5% of Israeli residents are neither Jewish nor Arab, including more than 25,000 African migrants who live in Israel.

Military service requirements

  • Israel has different rules for military service for its citizens, depending on their background.
  • Every Israeli citizen over the age of 18 who is Jewish, Druze or Circassian must serve in the military, unless they are religiously observant and/or married when conscripted.
  • Mandatory service brings together Israelis of all backgrounds, forces them to work together and instills a sense of obligation to the broader society.

Minorities in Israel

  • Abu Latif, who was called up as a reserve soldier, was killed in the Jan. 22, 2024, blast in Gaza.
  • The vast majority of the 370,000 Bedouins in Israel are citizens and identify as Muslim.
  • Unlike Jewish Israelis and Druze men who are required to serve in the Israel Defense Forces, Bedouins volunteer.
  • In 2020, a record number of 600 Bedouins joined the Israel military.
  • Another minority group in Israel, the Druze people, have a long history of Israeli military service.

Jewish minorities

  • Even the deaths of Jewish soldiers reflect the complexity of Israeli society.
  • In all, Jewish soldiers killed in the conflict have ties to at least 12 countries other than Israel.
  • Soldiers killed in Gaza include Staff Sgt.

Equal in war?

  • This exempts ultra-Orthodox Jews, who make up approximately 13% of the country, from military service.
  • Women as well as men studying at a yeshiva, a Jewish religious college, are excused from service so they can follow strict religious observances and study religious texts.
  • In August 2023, only 9% of eligible ultra-Orthodox men served in the military, compared with an 80% national average among other Jewish Israelis.


Jessica Trisko Darden is Director of the (In)Security Lab at Virginia Commonwealth University and Director of the Security & Foreign Policy Initiative at William & Mary's Global Research Institute.

Dassi Erlich and her sisters were ‘easy pickings for predators’. With their abuser Malka Leifer’s conviction – and a new book – they take control

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 30, 2024

Last year, after a 15-year campaign, her abuser, Malka Leifer, who had fled to Israel, was tried and sentenced, convicted of 18 charges of sexual abuse against Erlich and her sister, Elly.

Key Points: 
  • Last year, after a 15-year campaign, her abuser, Malka Leifer, who had fled to Israel, was tried and sentenced, convicted of 18 charges of sexual abuse against Erlich and her sister, Elly.
  • (She was acquitted of charges involving a third Erlich sister, Nicole.)
  • But when her need was most acute, Erlich could not have contacted any of these services.

Adass Israel ‘evokes 19th-century Europe’

  • As with most ultra-Orthodox Judaism, Adass Israel originated in 19th-century Europe as a conservative reaction to liberal secularism.
  • The cut of the men’s black silk coats worn with white shirts, and their mink hats, come from that time and place.
  • The Australian congregation was only formed in 1939, but the tiny enclave within East St Kilda and Ripponlea where Melbourne’s Adass Israel community lives effectively evokes 19th-century Europe.
  • Her parents had joined a generation later, as converts to Orthodoxy after emigrating from England.
  • She notes that as a result, “my mother was on a mission to prove her worth to the Adass community”.
  • Erlich writes that from a young age, she realised her mother’s rage “had no rhyme or reason, no trigger we could predict”.
  • The children were punished by being deprived of food and even the ability to go to the toilet at night.
  • Marriages are arranged via matchmakers, and couples have few meetings before their wedding.
  • Erlich writes that the first time she had an unsupervised conversation with her former husband, Shua Erlich, was on their wedding day.
  • Such is the fear of contamination by gender, unrelated girls and boys do not mix after they turn three.

‘It was just a woman’


When Dassi Erlich was in year nine, in December 2002, a new principal was appointed to the girls’ school. Malka Leifer had come from Israel with excellent references and appeared to be everything this devout congregation could desire. Erlich writes of “the respect and awe” the schoolgirls felt in the presence of this charismatic woman, who exuded authority.

  • Her mother was flattered when Leifer offered to give her daughter private lessons out of school hours, to advance her religious education.
  • Erlich wrote of these “lessons” that “I never found my words” to object to the continuing assaults on her body.
  • The account of her inability to escape is hard to read, but is also hard to stop reading.
  • It is hardly surprising the Adass community reacted to the news of the principal’s criminal behaviour in the same way.
  • Her religion controlled every aspect of her life, but could not save her from being raped.
  • It was just a woman.”

    Read more:
    Holy Woman's fleshy, feminist spiritual pilgrimage is a warning against religious coercive control

Unrestrained power, control and authority

  • When Erlich becomes suicidal after the birth of her daughter, her husband’s liberal Jewish father pays for her admission to the Albert Road psychiatric clinic.
  • The end of her marriage was inevitable, as were her many missteps on the way to freedom.
  • In enclosed sects, whatever their complexion, those who leave and speak out against misbehaviour are shunned, often losing all contact with their families.
  • The response of the Orthodox Jewish community to the truths exposed by Erlich and her siblings was as expected.
  • In 2016, a year after the judge in Erlich’s civil case ruled that “Leifer’s appalling misconduct […] was built on this position of unrestrained power, control and authority that had been bestowed on her by the Board”, Adass Israel was the subject of a television documentary, Strictly Jewish.

Global quest for justice

  • Instead, she was released from custody, feigning a mental illness that had turned her into a zombie-like state.
  • The book details the behaviour of Israeli medical, legal and political figures in their efforts to prevent Leifer from facing trial.
  • Jewish politicians, both Liberal and Labor, led their colleagues in supporting the sisters’ quest to bring Malka Leifer to judgement.
  • Erlich’s account of how her predator was eventually brought to justice shows how well these siblings learnt to work with the once unfamiliar outlet of social media.
  • After their Facebook group was trolled by Leifer’s supporters, they established a Twitter thread, #bringleiferback.
  • Although the extradition, trial and conviction of Malka Leifer was a group effort, full credit for bringing her to justice must go to the sisters – Dassi Erlich, Elly Sapper and Nicole Meyer.
  • This is a very self-aware memoir: Erlich and her sisters know they need to take control of their own narrative.


Joanna Mendelssohn has in the past received funding from the Australian Research Council

Seeing the human in every patient − from biblical texts to 21st century relational medicine

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, January 4, 2024

One study even called the care delivered to many vulnerable patients “inhumane.” Seismic changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic – particularly the shift to telehealth – only exacerbated that feeling.

Key Points: 
  • One study even called the care delivered to many vulnerable patients “inhumane.” Seismic changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic – particularly the shift to telehealth – only exacerbated that feeling.
  • In response, many health systems now emphasize “relational medicine”: care that purports to center on the patient as a human being.
  • Seeing each person before you as someone of infinite value is fundamental to many faiths’ beliefs about medical ethics.

Divine dignity

  • For doctors today, this might mean taking care not to inflict shame on a person with a stigmatized illness like substance use or obesity.
  • A 1981 Islamic code of medical ethics, for instance, considers the patient the leader of the medical team.
  • The doctor exists “for the sake of the patient … not the other way round,” it reminds practitioners.

Seeing and hearing the whole patient


In undergraduate classes that I teach for future health professionals at the University of Pittsburgh, we focus on communication skills to foster dignified care, such as setting a shared agenda with a patient to align their goals and the provider’s. Students also read “Compassionomics,” by medical researchers Stephen Trzeciak and Anthony Mazzarelli, which aggregates the data showing caring’s impact on the well-being of patients and providers alike.

  • However, even health professionals steeped in these practices can encounter people whose humanity they struggle to see.
  • The course evaluation is based on a project in which students interview a friend, relative or neighbor about their experience of illness and care.
  • Ultimately, they identify one element of the person’s care that could have been improved by attending more to the person’s individual needs and listening to their story.

Listening with both ears

  • Down the road at Chatham University, I work with physician assistant students who are about to enter clinic for the first time.
  • These students complete a workshop including many of the same communication exercises, including “listening with both ears”: listening not only to the patient, but also to what they themselves say to the patient, considering how it will be received.
  • Many of them report using patient-centered skills in challenging situations, such as validating patients’ concerns that had previously been dismissed.
  • Yet they also report a work culture where effective communication is often seen as taking too much time or as a low priority.
  • The emphasis on technology and a rapid pace of treatment leaves scant room for caring, whether in Heschel’s day or ours.


Jonathan Weinkle is affiliated with American College of Physicians and American Academy of Pediatrics.

The Lotus Sutra − an ancient Buddhist scripture from the 3rd century − continues to have relevance today

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Historically, these religions were often more accepting of varied gender identities before colonialism imposed binary gender as a universal concept.

Key Points: 
  • Historically, these religions were often more accepting of varied gender identities before colonialism imposed binary gender as a universal concept.
  • One such text is the Lotus Sutra, one of the most popular Buddhist scriptures in East Asia.
  • The Lotus Sutra conveys its message of universal Buddhahood in several stories that depict transformations between male and female bodies.

The dragon girl’s gender transformation

  • To understand the story of the dragon girl, it is important to understand how Buddhas’ bodies were defined as masculine in early Buddhism.
  • All of these Buddhas are said to possess 32 marks that distinguished their bodies from regular bodies.
  • One of these marks was a sheathed penis, which meant that Buddha bodies were male by definition.
  • How then could your female body attain Buddhahood so quickly?” However, the dragon girl proves Shariputra wrong by instantly attaining Buddhahood, transforming her young, female, nonhuman body into the male body of a Buddha.
  • Women in premodern East Asia found inspiration in the dragon girl’s story because it showed that their own female bodies were not barriers to enlightenment.

The bodhisattva’s gender fluidity

  • A bodhisattva is an advanced spiritual being who postpones enlightenment to help people in the world.
  • Indian Buddhist texts described Avalokiteshvara as male, but in China people came to see Avalokiteshvara as female.
  • Though scholars have not found one single explanation for this transformation, the Lotus Sutra passage offers justification for Avalokiteshvara’s gender fluidity.

The Lotus Sutra and transgender inspiration

  • Due to the Lotus Sutra, Avalokiteshvara has become an inspiration and icon for transgender, gender-fluid and nonbinary people in and beyond East Asia.
  • A blog post from Taiwan quotes from the Lotus Sutra in describing Avalokiteshvara as a nonbinary figure who transcends any single gender identity.
  • Despite these objections, more and more people have found inspiration in Avalokiteshvara as a transgender, nonbinary or gender-fluid figure.


Megan Bryson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

How a French rabbi helped build a thriving Jewish community in medieval York – before a shocking massacre

Retrieved on: 
Saturday, December 30, 2023

The event was led by Rabbi Elisheva Salamo, the first rabbi to live in York for over 700 years.

Key Points: 
  • The event was led by Rabbi Elisheva Salamo, the first rabbi to live in York for over 700 years.
  • In the history of England’s Jewish communities, York is forever linked with this period of murderous antisemitism.
  • Historians have long examined how the Christian and Jewish communities co-existed in York both before and, crucially, after 1190.

York’s early Jewish community

  • The first references to a Jewish community in York date back to the 1170s.
  • Property deeds held in York City Archives and Durham Cathedral Archives refer to two very substantial properties, occupied by two prominent Jewish figures, Josce and Benedict.
  • At some point in the 1180s, he wrote to the Jewish community in Joigny, just south-east of Paris, asking for a scholar to be sent to York to teach the community.

A centre of Jewish scholarship and poetry

  • Research suggests York was a centre
    of Jewish scholarship and poetry.
  • Specifically, Yom Tov said that it was acceptable to allow a gentile into a Jewish household on Chabbad (the Sabbath) for the purposes of the lighting a fire.
  • As Rabbi Edward Feld notes, the poem is favoured for its insistence that only God can rescue humanity, through his forgiveness.
  • Historical chroniclers do not agree on whether Yom Tov lived permanently in York, as the city’s rabbi, or whether he was simply a frequent visitor.
  • This strongly suggests Yom Tov was, in fact, established in York.

Jews were absent from York for 600 years

  • The 12th-century English chronicler, William of Newburgh, describes Josce and Benedict’s “stone palaces” as “[attracting] the attention of their Christian neighbours”.
  • In an antisemitic attempt at justification, he implies that their lavishness inspired envy and contributed to the “cause” of the pogrom.
  • Charter evidence suggests around 150 people died – likely, the entirety of the York community.
  • Following the expulsion of the Jews from England, by King Edward I, in 1290, there would be no Jewish presence in York for 600 years.
  • The return of a resident rabbi in York, in 2023, comes amid plans to build a new synagogue.


Louise Hampson works for The University of York. She receives funding from the AHRC and this work on which this articlke is based arose from a government-funded project. John Jenkins does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

A brief history of time – as told by a watchmaker

Retrieved on: 
Saturday, December 30, 2023

Then they garbled on about the philosophical nature of time, still resisting payment.

Key Points: 
  • Then they garbled on about the philosophical nature of time, still resisting payment.
  • It was during that wistful, skyward narrative that I saw the timepiece slip from their hand and hit the marble floor.
  • Time was important enough to our ancestors that they went to the effort of building an extraordinary prehistoric monument, Stonehenge.

It’s in the timing

  • The Sumerians (4100-1750BC) based around Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) calculated that the day was approximately 24 hours and that each hour was 60 minutes long.
  • Water clocks used the gradual flow of water from one container to another to measure time.
  • But the length of these “hours” varied depending on the time of year – longer in summertime than winter.
  • These measures of time were based on the Sun, with 12 parts during daylight, and another 12 parts through the night.
  • The time period between these canonical prayers became equal in length because of the rigidity of prayer times.

Prayer time


While we can’t be certain from historical records if it was monks who made the first mechanical clocks, we do know that they first appeared in the 14th century. Their first mention is in the Italian physician, astronomer and mechanical engineer Giovanni de Dondi’s treatise Tractatus Astrarii, or Planetarium. De Dondi states that early clocks used gravity as their power source and were driven by weights.

  • These early clocks started popping up in city centres but, since they did not have a face, they used bells to signal the hours.
  • These signals began to organise the market times and administrative needs of each city.
  • Coiled springs as a method of releasing energy for clocks began to appear in Europe in the 15th century.

Time tracking in other parts of the world

  • And long before that, the Ancient Greek Antikythera mechanism, regarded as the world’s first computer, is dated at around 100BC (having been discovered in AD1901).
  • Meanwhile in China, there was Su Song’s astronomical clock – dated to AD1088 – which was powered by water.
  • Today, wherever we are in the world, time is a unified construct – and the search for ever-more precise measurements continues.


Jaq Prendergast does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Chat with God Offers AI-Powered Spiritual Guidance

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, December 13, 2023

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to expand access to spiritual guidance to seekers from all religious backgrounds, the launch of  ChatwithGod.ai comes at a pivotal moment in history to help those seeking spiritual guidance within their own lives and to find common ground with others. This innovative AI-powered platform enables users to engage in conversation, receiving personalized religious verses and comfort. The platform also offers the opportunity to explore for those who identify as agnostic or atheist.

Key Points: 
  • ChatwithGod.ai was founded as a response to the turbulent times we are living in—a digital sanctuary where spiritual well-being is nurtured.
  • As questions evolve, Chat with God responds in turn and scales so that it can share resources in real time around the globe.
  • Over 50 languages are available on Chat with God including English, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Hindu, German, French, Korean, and Vietnamese.
  • The free version offers unlimited conversations and dialogue with Chat with God.

EVE BARLOW JOINS AS THE 35,000th PLEDGER OF THE JEWISH FUTURE PLEDGE

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, December 12, 2023

ATLANTA, Dec. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In a poignant testament to resilience and solidarity, The Jewish Future Pledge (JFP) today celebrates surpassing 35,000 pledgers, with renowned journalist and activist Eve Barlow marking this pivotal moment. Her pledge comes as a beacon of hope following the October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel, affirming a collective resolve to ensure an enduring legacy of Jewish culture and the sovereignty of the State of Israel.

Key Points: 
  • We are all we have when push comes to shove, and the Jewish Future Pledge is a great way to ensure a future for Jews all over the world," Barlow said.
  • Mike Leven, Jewish Future Pledge founder, stated, "Today marks a milestone that resonates with hope and purpose.
  • Each pledge represents an individual's pledge to future generations—a pledge that strengthens our global community.
  • The Jewish Future Pledge is more than a commitment—it's a testament to the indomitable spirit of the Jewish people."

Scholar focusing on God's human qualities wins Grawemeyer religion prize

Retrieved on: 
Friday, December 8, 2023

He argues that embracing God as a deity with human qualities can bring us closer to God and inspire us to become better people.

Key Points: 
  • He argues that embracing God as a deity with human qualities can bring us closer to God and inspire us to become better people.
  • The University of Louisville and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary jointly give the religion prize.
  • Recipients of next year's Grawemeyer Award s were named this week pending formal approval by trustees at both institutions.
  • Winners will visit Louisville in the spring to accept their awards and give free talks on their winning ideas.

NATIONAL WOMEN'S HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES 2024 INDUCTEES

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, November 16, 2023

SENECA FALLS, N.Y., Nov. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Women's Hall of Fame, the nation's first and oldest nonprofit dedicated to honoring distinguished American women, is honored to announce its 2024 class of Inductees. These extraordinary women, who will join the ranks of the 302 Hall Inductees before them, include Patricia Bath, Ruby Bridges, Elouise Cobell, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Peggy McIntosh, Judith Plaskow, Loretta Ross, Sandy Stone, Anna Wessels Williams, and Serena Williams.

Key Points: 
  • SENECA FALLS, N.Y., Nov. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Women's Hall of Fame, the nation's first and oldest nonprofit dedicated to honoring distinguished American women, is honored to announce its 2024 class of Inductees.
  • This marks the first time in the National Women's Hall of Fame history that the Induction Ceremony will be broadcast nationally on primetime television.
  • "The 2024 class of Inductees are scientists, activists, performers, and athletes who are the changemakers of today and inspiration for the women of tomorrow," said Jennifer Gabriel, CEO of the National Women's Hall of Fame.
  • For information about the National Women's Hall of Fame, the 2024 Induction Ceremony, and how to financially support the broadcast, please visit womenofthehall.org.