Class Title – Two Bold, Bombastic Models of Courage and Strength: Comparing Biblical and Rabbinic Visions of Justice Class taught by Meesh Hammer-Kossoy Class description: One of the great Biblical institutions of Justice is the Shmitta year—that is this year!…
Critical issues, Social justice
Please note: This resource is an attempt to be nuanced, but not objective. It is intended for rabbis inclined to give a sermon sympathetic to the plight of the refugees. On February 1, the 1,500 asylum seekers interred in the…
Critical issues, Modernity, Social justice, Zionism
The Tanakh is not immune to stories of sexual violence and sexual objectification. Many stories in Tanakh deal with the beauty (or simply the body) of a woman leading to objectification and violence. Obvious examples include: Sarah who is forcefully…
Jewish history, Biblical Times, Critical issues, Social justice, Jewish living, Women’s issues
As I recently sat in a movie theater watching the Oscar-winning Spotlight, one recurring thought dominated all others: I could have written this script. Although the film focuses on abusive priests and the Catholic Church that protected them, the patterns…
Critical issues, Social justice, Jewish living, Women’s issues
This class was given to Pardes in Jerusalem on October 20, 2015. Using the Midrash, the Kotzker Rebbe, Levinas, Richard Rubenstein, Peter Singer, Tracy Kidder and more, Rabbi Levi Lauer challenges us all to do more.
Critical issues, Social justice
Click here for the Word version. How does our speech influence the people around us? Today’s Question for the Board: How does our speech influence the people around us? Goals: Students will: Learn the Biblical story of the Meraglim…
Critical issues, Mahloket Matters/conflict resolution, Educator resources, Meaning-making, Pedagogy of facilitation, Social justice
The heartbreaking pictures in the media of refugee children’s bodies washing ashore evokes for us as Jews painful memories of our own desperate and unsuccessful flight from the Shoah. Hillel’s mantra “What is hateful to you, do not do to…
Critical issues, Social justice
A Time for Zealotry Pinchas, the biblical zealot, was so angered by the Israelites intermarrying with idolaters that he executed an Israelite man and a Midianite woman publicly fornicating. Some suggest that this story is the inspiration for the stabbing…
Critical issues, Mahloket Matters/conflict resolution, Self & spirituality, Sexuality, Social justice
Meesh Hammer-Kossoy examines the social justice issues of Eritrean and Sudanese refugees in Israel and what it means to us today, especially during Passover when we are commanded to “love the stranger because you were strangers in Egypt.” Also: The…
Critical issues, Mahloket Matters/conflict resolution, Jewish calendar, Pesach, Social justice
On the morning of Friday, March 21, I ran together with my entire family in the Jerusalem Marathon. Admittedly, I ran merely the five kilometer non-competitive race, but it was a special feeling just the same. It was a chance…
Self & spirituality, Mussar, Critical issues, Social justice
Abstract: “Tikkun olam” is a marvelous term that is used as a slogan for activism, political involvement, and social justice. The term has had numerous lives, such that its endurance and malleability over time are truly impressive. This paper is…
Critical issues, Politics, Social justice
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