Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Writing from the Edge

Home
Jewish

2016-05-26T11:57:13+01:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

“Honey, I shrunk the religion!” Who’s in and who’s out according to Zionism?

Last updated on: May 26, 2016 at 11:57 am By Robert A. H. Cohen

The space available to be Jewish is shrinking rapidly. Ironically, it’s both pro and anti-Zionist positions that are making Judaism look so minuscule. Jewish students on Britain’s campuses now feel they have to choose between their Jewish identity and supporting the National Union of Students. The dilemma has been brought to a head by the election of Malia Bouattia as NUS President and her well-reported anti-Zionist opinions. Our Jewish students can’t work out why their minority rights (when defined in... Read more

Uncategorized

2016-05-15T08:49:43+01:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Thank you Chief Rabbi. Now I know. Judaism is to blame for the Palestinian Nakba.

Last updated on: May 15, 2016 at 8:49 am By Robert A. H. Cohen

Dear Rabbi Mirvis When it comes to defining Zionism, you have brought crystal clarity. You have been emphatic and categorical. You have left no room for doubt. And why am I writing to you today? Well it’s Nakba Day. And thanks to you, I can now join a perfect straight line between Judaism and the Palestinian ‘Catastrophe’. However, I imagine you and I will disagree strongly on the implications of that straight line. Here’s how you explained Zionism in your... Read more

2016-05-19T22:23:47+01:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Letter from an anti-BDS Arab to a Jewish BDS supporter [and this Jew’s BDS response]

Last updated on: May 19, 2016 at 10:23 pm By Robert A. H. Cohen

A member of my family sent me this open letter to BDS supporting Jews, hoping I might see the error of my ways. It hasn’t worked. It was published last month and written by Fred Maroun who writes a column for the Times of Israel. Looking at his other posts for TOI he clearly likes to target any Jew who has a problem with Israel. Maroun describes himself as a Canadian of Arab origin who grew up in Beirut, supports... Read more

2016-05-02T19:06:08+01:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Three pieces of advice to help British leftwingers kick racism out of their anti-Israel rhetoric

Last updated on: May 2, 2016 at 7:06 pm By Robert A. H. Cohen

Too often I see those in solidarity with Palestinians lose the plot and allow opponents to grab the agenda and deflect attention from where the suffering really exists. That’s exactly what’s been happening in Britain this week as a row over antisemitism in the Labour Party has dominated the news. My initial reaction to Naz Shah and Ken Livingstone was sympathetic. The whole thing felt hyped up, out of all proportion and part of the ongoing attempts to undermine Jeremy... Read more

Uncategorized

2016-04-16T15:41:42+01:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Wicked Son’s guide to Passover

Last updated on: April 16, 2016 at 3:41 pm By Robert A. H. Cohen

Celebrating Passover can be tricky for us awkward Jews. Liberation and freedom have become the ‘Passover Problematic’ for the in-house critics of Judaism in the 21st century. I’m thinking of Jews like me (growing in number each year) who insist that Zionism as the route to Jewish self-determination has turned out to be a bitter disappointment. Jews like me who think our movement of political nationalism has created nothing but salt water because it comes at the expense of another... Read more

Uncategorized

2016-03-19T23:34:13+01:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Young liberal Zionists, if you’re serious about peace, let go and move on

Last updated on: March 19, 2016 at 11:34 pm By Robert A. H. Cohen

Fear, intimidation, distress and discomfort. That’s the lexicon of life for young liberal Zionists in Britain today. The pro-peace, anti-occupation, two-state supporting Jews are certainly having a rough time of it. So why aren’t I more sympathetic? After all, doesn’t the fact that moderate well-meaning Jewish supporters of Israel are under attack, point to what really lies behind all of this hostility? Old fashioned, straight forward, anti-Semitism. And isn’t it the political left that’s stoking all the trouble this time... Read more

israeli apartheid week

Jewish students

Liberal Zionism

2016-02-17T18:34:51+01:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Comparing Nazis to Jews? Leon Rosselson explains ‘The Ballad of Rivka & Mohammed’

Last updated on: February 17, 2016 at 6:34 pm By Robert A. H. Cohen

It’s shocking. But that’s the point. You’re not supposed to do this. But he has. Songwriters have creative licence but has Leon Rosselson gone too far? A Nazi soldier smashes the head of Rivka, a seven year old girl wearing her new red dress in the Vilna ghetto in 1942. An Israeli soldier fires a shell onto a Gaza beach and kills Mohammed, an eleven year old boy playing football with his cousins in 2014. In the songwriter’s dream, Mohammed... Read more

Uncategorized

2016-02-06T11:38:25+01:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

My poetic response to Facebook ‘Friends’ and Foes

Last updated on: February 6, 2016 at 11:38 am By Robert A. H. Cohen

Sometimes it’s easier to say it in verse. What follows was inspired by reactions to my last two blogs after they were posted on Facebook. The first post was a deconstruction of a pro-Israel rally poster, the second was in the form of a Letter to Anne Frank. The words in italics are all verbatim quotes from Facebook comments, all from fellow Jews. You might recommend I just stay clear of Facebook. But to have a digital presence on the... Read more

facebook

2016-01-24T23:28:35+01:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

“Dear Anne…” My letter to Anne Frank for Holocaust Memorial Day

Last updated on: January 24, 2016 at 11:28 pm By Robert A. H. Cohen

For Holocaust Memorial Day 27 January 2016 “In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.” – Anne Frank Dear Anne, What would you make of it all? Would you be surprised at what has happened to the Jewish people since your death and how the Jewish story is unfolding in the 21st century? Would you be shocked at how we have misused the memory of the Holocaust? Would you be dismayed at... Read more

Uncategorized

2016-01-20T15:33:30+01:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The on/off pro-Israel rally that tells us much about the state of British Jewry

Last updated on: January 20, 2016 at 3:33 pm By Robert A. H. Cohen

This week a pro-Israel rally due to take place in Manchester in the north of England at the end of this month was abruptly called off after the venue cancelled the booking. The organisers of No to Terror, Stand with Israel, a relatively new group called North West Friends of Israel (NWFOI), is crying ‘foul’ and blaming the Boycott Divestment Sanctions movement for putting pressure on the hotel. At the time of writing, the Sheridan Suite in Manchester is yet... Read more

Uncategorized

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does James say someone who doubts is like?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind A sheep without a shepherd A leaf falling from a tree A house built on sand

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category anti-Semitism antisemitism antisemitism Balfour BDS campus Jews Christians Church of England Church of Scotland Climate Climate change Corbyn Equal rights EU referendum facebook General Election 2019 Hanukkah High Holidays Holocaust denial Intel Interfaith dialogue Islam Israel-Palestine Jewish students Judaism Labour Party Liberal Zionism music Palestinian Refugees Passover Radical thinking Rosh Hashonah Trump Uncategorized Yom Kippur Zionism

Select a Month July 2021 May 2021 March 2021 January 2021 December 2020 October 2020 September 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015

TRENDING AT PATHEOS Jewish