Chanukah: Celebrating in the Hard Times
I’m having a hard time feeling joyous and to celebrate Chanukah with so many fellow Jews being murdered and maimed and living with fear in Israel. Should we perhaps not celebrate Chanukah this year, or at least consider it a solemn day instead of a joyous one under the circumstances?
Anti-Semitism, Missionaries and “Passion” Film
I, as many in the Jewish community, am very concerned about the upcoming Mel Gibson’s “Passion” film. Personally, I’m more concerned about all the talk about stepped-up missionary activity than I am about anti-Semitism that may come as a result of the film. What do you feel should be the response to that issue, and how can we effectively fight it to protect our children and other unsuspecting Jews from that missionary activity?
Do We Celebrate the Death of A Wicked Person
There’s been a lot of debate around out house lately if it’s proper to throw a party in celebration of the death of the arch-terrorist Arafat. My sister feels that the death of someone who’s killed so many Jews deserves a major bash. I don’t have a good reason to argue with her, but deep down feel there’s something Jewishly wrong with doing that. What can you say about this?
Baalei Teshuva and Shabbat Nachamu
You mentioned last week, that Jews in America, are in the midst of a “spiritual Holocaust”. If that is the case, how could you ever be in a state of comfort; i.e. the Shabbat following the 9th of Av is called the Shabbat of Comforting. How could one be in a state of comfort in the midst of a Holocaust?
There is so much blatant anti-Semitism throughout the world. Do you have some direction that I can give to my children?
Since the Durban Conference a few months ago and throughout all that’s happening in Israel, France and Russia today, my teenagers are preoccupied with the blatant anti-Semitism throughout the world. I had once thought that the world had learned its lesson from the Holocaust but it seems like the Holocaust never taught these people a thing. Do you have some direction that I can give to my children?