Judaism

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Jewish Museum in SF Unsettles
 Jewish Museum
 in SF Unsettles 
ARCHITECTURE REVIEW
Jun 9, 2008 7:52 AM CDT

Jewish Museum in SF Unsettles

But architect too distracted by secret signs, allegories, writes NYT critic

(Newser) - Architect Daniel Libeskind won worldwide acclaim for his stark, unsettling Jewish Museum in the heart of Berlin. Now the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco has moved into a new Libeskind-designed building. But as a critic for the New York Times observes, the Bay Area institution shies away from the...

Einstein Called Faith 'Childish Superstition'

1954 letter, headed for auction, sheds new light on scientist's view

(Newser) - A relatively unknown letter by Albert Einstein, offered at auction Thursday in London, offers new details on the scientist's tangled relationship with religion, the Guardian reports. While believers often consider Einstein a scientist who maintained his religious faith, the 1954 letter calls the Bible "primitive legends," and "...

Matzo Shortage Plagues Passover in Calif.

Stores sold out before holiday began Saturday, Jews 'at wits' end'

(Newser) - With Passover in full swing, Jews in the San Francisco area are enduring a shortage of matzo, the Chronicle reports. Most grocers were cleaned out Friday or Saturday, the first day of the observance, and with the holiday stretching to the weekend, the observant wonder how they'll manage without the...

Pope Makes History With Visit to US Synagogue

Benedict is first pope to visit an American synagogue

(Newser) - Pope Benedict XVI became the first pontiff to ever set foot inside an American synagogue with his visit to New York's Park East Synagogue yesterday, the New York Times reports. Benedict, presented with matzo, a Seder plate and a Passover prayer book, spoke to the congregation of "building bridges...

World's Holy Days Converge
 World's Holy Days Converge 
Mar 21, 2008 8:51 AM CDT

World's Holy Days Converge

Believers of almost all stripes have something to celebrate today

(Newser) - This Good Friday is not simply the most solemn day in the Christian calendar but a convergence of movable feasts that doesn't occur more than once in a century. March 21 is also the first day of the Jewish festival of Purim and the celebration of the birth of the...

Paging Indiana Jones: Scholar Finds Ark

Biblical treasure reportedly surfaces in Zimbabwe, not Hollywood

(Newser) - A real-life Indiana Jones says he has found the Ark of the Covenant—not on the set of the latest Raiders of the Lost Ark movie, but on a shelf in a museum storeroom in Zimbabwe. The alleged ark is an old drum with an uncharacteristic charred hole on its...

'Kosher' Phones Block Porn
'Kosher' Phones Block Porn
Feb 4, 2008 5:37 PM CST

'Kosher' Phones Block Porn

Rabbis sign off on no-call list in Israel

(Newser) - Israel’s top phone company is betting that its most orthodox customers need less temptation in their lives. Bezeq Israel Telecom launched a “kosher” phone service yesterday that will block calls to and from “improper” numbers, such as porn lines. In true kosher fashion, Israel’s top rabbis...

Video Spoofs Jews on Christmas
Video Spoofs Jews on Christmas
Dec 18, 2007 11:20 AM CST

Video Spoofs Jews on Christmas

Baltimore teacher strikes a chord with song about Chinese food

(Newser) - A band teacher at a Baltimore yeshiva is the latest YouTube celebrity thanks to his holiday spoof on the Jewish dilemma of what to do on Christmas. His video, "Chinese Food on Christmas," in which a rock band of faux Hasidic Jews jams for fellow members of the...

Jesus 2.0: GodTube Is a Smash With Believers

Site offers networking, user-generated video

(Newser) - GodTube, one of the fastest-growing sites on the web, is drawing masses of the Christian faithful to its user-generated videos, social-networking tools and the "GodCaster," which offers live video presentations. It's not a church, the LA Times reports, but a for-profit business backed by a "who's who"...

Coulter: Jews Need to Be 'Perfected'

She's flamed again, this time for calling 'dream' nation Christian

(Newser) - After drawing fire last week for wishing women weren't allowed to vote, conservative provocateur Ann Coulter has struck a new nerve, saying that the nation should be Christian and Jews need to be "perfected." She made the comments on CNBC's "The Big Idea" with Donny Deutsch, who...

Madonna Toasts New Year With Israeli Prez

Calls trip 'a dream come true' despite criticism from Orthodox

(Newser) - Madonna enjoyed "a dream come true" yesterday by celebrating the Jewish New Year with Shimon Peres in Jerusalem, the AP reports. She landed last week with husband Guy Ritchie and a gaggle of Hollywood Kabbalists to attend a conference about Jewish mysticism. "I am an ambassador for Judaism,...

God's No 'He' Man in Reform Judaism's New Prayer Book

Gender-neutral book took 20 years to develop

(Newser) - After 20 years of development, Reform Judaism's new prayer book hits the shuls in about a month with a gender-neutral text that eliminates references to God as "He." The new prayer book, "Mishkan T’filah," is intended to offer something for everyone, from those who prefer...

Berlin Synagogue Reopens
Berlin Synagogue Reopens
Aug 31, 2007 10:10 AM CDT

Berlin Synagogue Reopens

Country’s largest synagogue survived century of strife

(Newser) - Germany’s largest synagogue has re-opened its doors after a major restoration, welcoming political leaders and Holocaust survivors to its unveiling. Built over 100 years ago, the Berlin temple was burned on Kristallnacht but the structure survived Nazism, Communism and decades of neglect. Architects re-created the original appearance with the...

France Bids Adieu to Archbishop
France Bids Adieu to Archbishop
Aug 10, 2007 4:34 PM CDT

France Bids Adieu to Archbishop

Notre-Dame holds Catholic-Jewish funeral ceremony for former church leader

(Newser) - Catholic and Jewish prayers rang out at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris today during the funeral of the former archbishop of Paris, Jean-Marie Lustiger, who died Sunday at 80. A convert from Judaism whose mother died at Auschwitz, he was known for his tireless work to bridge his two faiths, and...

The Last Jew in Afghanistan
The Last Jew in Afghanistan
Jul 19, 2007 4:58 PM CDT

The Last Jew in Afghanistan

(Newser) - Kabul resident Zabolon Simantov is quite literally the last Afghan Jew. He is the sole remaining member of a community that once numbered 4000.  He stays, he says, to keep the country's Jewish history alive. In this all-Muslim country, he has been pressured to convert and is cautious in...

Mormon Faith Bedevils Romney Bid
Mormon Faith Bedevils Romney Bid
Jun 20, 2007 9:56 PM CDT

Mormon Faith Bedevils Romney Bid

Voters wary; rivals quick to take advantage (and apologize later)

(Newser) - Mitt Romney is still having to explain and defend his religion on the campaign trail. In recent weeks, staffers for two GOP rivals sent out e-mails questioning Mormon beliefs (the candidates later apologized), notes ABC News. And Romney himself has had to battle misconceptions about his faith, especially with regard...

Putin's Top Rabbi Lifts Sect to Power

Chabad-Lubavitcher gets money and access—and falls into Kremlin's line

(Newser) - A rabbi from an ultra-orthodox Jewish group is ultra-powerful in Russia's shrinking oligarchy, using Putin's patronage to raise funds and revive Judaism across the country, the Wall Street Journal reports. But critics charge him with selling his soul for the cozy position, downplaying anti-Semitism and becoming an apologist for the...

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