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Synagogue

Do Synagogue Movements Know What They Really Sell?

Rabbi Hayim Herring, Ph.D. | Posted 04.26.2013 | Religion
Rabbi Hayim Herring, Ph.D.

The current focus of many synagogues on maintaining and acquiring new members suggests a narrow message -- namely, that someone is joining an organization that they can easily "unjoin."

Learning From the Past; Teach Your Children Well

Linda Novick O'Keefe | Posted 04.02.2013 | Impact
Linda Novick O'Keefe

There are many lessons to be learned in moments from our pasts. Teach your children well and remember that food can be your tool.

The Blessings And Dangers Of Wooing Worshipers With Food

Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie | Posted 04.22.2013 | Religion
Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie

For some in the Jewish world, the Kiddush has become an elaborate feast at which sumptuous food and fine wines and liquors are offered to those, both members and guests, who come to pray. This new phenomenon is healthy in some ways and deeply unsettling in others.

PHOTOS: Myanmar's Last Synagogue

Jessica Beaton | Posted 02.19.2013 | Travel
Jessica Beaton

Built in 1896 to replace an earlier building erected in 1854, the synagogue is a relic from Myanmar's colonial period.

Are Spiritual Communities Healthier?

Georgianna Donadio, MSc, Ph.D., D.C. | Posted 02.27.2013 | Fifty
Georgianna Donadio, MSc, Ph.D., D.C.

For us longevity focused boomers, a return to a spiritual or worship community could represent an opportunity for renewed connection with others in a shared environment, as well as potential discernment and insight into the importance of belonging.

Can You Spare the Bread? Should You?

Jon M. Sweeney | Posted 10.23.2012 | Religion
Jon M. Sweeney

A decade ago, when my kids were young, I would hand them each a roll of quarters when we were visiting New York City, instructing them to give to anyone who asked. Of course, I know very well the potential problems with such an approach.

The Surprising Role Of Houses Of Worship In The Presidential Election

Scott Perlo | Posted 10.22.2012 | Religion
Scott Perlo

Their role should be to help people to separate the truth of the candidates they see from the stories that carry us. If anything can convince another to follow the straight line, it is the power of God's word. I say we apply it.

The Overcriminalization of America: Are We All Criminals Now?

John W. Whitehead | Posted 10.06.2012 | Crime
John W. Whitehead

What happened to Michael Salman -- armed police raids of his property, repeated warnings against holding any form of Bible study at his home, and a court-ordered probation banning him from having any gatherings of more than 12 people at his home -- should never have happened in America.

Can Judaism Survive With Atheism In Its Midst?

Mira Sucharov | Posted 05.18.2012 | Religion
Mira Sucharov

Particularly in an age where debate around Godlessness is coming squarely into the mainstream of Western thought, I don't think the question of belief is going to be settled anytime soon.

Kids With Autism at a Synagogue on Purim? Not a Prayer, Right?

Amy Lennard Goehner | Posted 05.12.2012 | Parents
Amy Lennard Goehner

Families with kids aged 2 to 20-something were encouraged by the rabbis to walk around when they needed to, bring their snacks back to their seats, dance to the music or do none of the above if they didn't want to. What didn't I hear? The words "SSSHHHHH!" or "Sit down!"

Religion in Novels Is Better Than Religion in Politics!

Dave Astor | Posted 05.09.2012 | Books
Dave Astor

Yes, many novels have religious content that dominates a book or at least adds a small thread to its tapestry. Some of these novels take a jaundiced view of religion, while others treat it more kindly.

One American Mosque: Two Crazy Acts

Dr. Faheem Younus | Posted 04.16.2012 | Religion
Dr. Faheem Younus

There is a bright line distinction, though, between both crazy acts: one is driven by knowledge and love, while the other by ignorance at best, and hatred at worse.

Where Synagogues Are Treated Worse Than Terror Houses

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach | Posted 03.31.2012 | New York
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

Is it only synagogues that get the book thrown at them? Is there any hope that our application will ever be heard by the City of Englewood?

New Jersey Synagogue Firebombed With Molotov Cocktails

AP | SAMANTHA HENRY | Posted 03.12.2012 | New York

RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Several Molotov cocktails and other incendiary devices were thrown at a northern New Jersey synagogue early Wednesday, igniti...

Worms, Germany: Centuries Of Jewish History Distilled

Alan Elsner | Posted 01.09.2012 | Travel
Alan Elsner

In the adjoining museum devoted to the history of the Jews of Worms, there is a chilling photograph of the synagogue going up in flames during Kristallnacht.

Danielle Cadet

Pay To Pray: Synagogues Help Struggling Families With Free Tickets To Services

HuffingtonPost.com | Danielle Cadet | Posted 11.29.2011 | Impact

As families strapped for cash evaluate their budgets this Jewish holiday season, synagogues are rethinking how they collect funds and maintain their m...

Prayer: An Expression Of The Heart

Scott Perlo | Posted 08.22.2011 | Religion
Scott Perlo

I offer this thought as a guide: whatever your worship, ask yourself, "did my heart express itself today?" If so, you have truly prayed.

Police Say Blast Outside Synagogue Caused By Homemade Explosive Device

AP | By ANDREW DALTON | Posted 06.08.2011 | Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES -- Police are hunting a suspect in a blast outside a California synagogue and community center that was initially believed to be an indust...

The Vanishing American Religious Male

Scott Perlo | Posted 05.25.2011 | Religion
Scott Perlo

To the endangered species of our world, let us add another: the vanishing American religious male. Rabbis, priests, pastors, imams and sociologists are trying to understand why.

Ancient Istanbul Synagogue Reborn as Arts Center†

Hoyt Hilsman | Posted 05.25.2011 | Travel
Hoyt Hilsman

Hidden behind a squalid aluminum foundry and run-down billiard hall is the abandoned Mayor Synagogue, standing as a lonely testament to the Jews of the Ottoman Empire whose descendants lived here for centuries.

Synagogues Rarely Mention God in Appeals, Unlike Churches

forward.com | Posted 05.25.2011 | Religion

Amid economic and sociological changes within the Jewish community, many communal and religious leaders are beginning to think about new models of syn...

Vandals Target Rogers Park Synagogue

Chicago Sun-Times | Posted 05.25.2011 | Chicago

Worshippers at a Rogers Park synagogue arrived Tuesday to find the windows broken and the sides of a Sukkah -- a temporary structure where meals are e...

Facebook-Faith

Rabbi David Wolpe | Posted 05.25.2011 | Religion
Rabbi David Wolpe

For centuries people have walked out of synagogue thinking "Boy I'd like to tell the Rabbi a thing or two about that sermon." But now the sermons are online, the Facebook page is available, and that congregant can offer a piece of her or his mind

Fifty First (J)Dates: How To Score During the High Holy Days.

Meredith Fineman | Posted 05.25.2011 | Comedy
Meredith Fineman

It's that time of year again. The High Holy days. So break out your tickets, your ugliest ensemble that you save for synagogue, and put on your game-f...

Brad Sherman's Middle East Town Hall Rife With Fear and Aggression

Linda Milazzo | Posted 05.25.2011 | Los Angeles
Linda Milazzo

On July 3, 2010, I received an email from a friend informing me that Congressman Brad Sherman, who is seeking reelection to his 8th term in California...