News

• Why are so many Christians in Colombia converting to Orthodox Judaism? https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2021/04/14/converts-judaism-colombia/ • These Lawsuits Reveal The Left’s Goal To Banish Religion Altogether https://thefederalist.com/2021/04/14/these-lawsuits-reveal-the-lefts-goal-to-banish-religion-altogether/ • On Rosh Chodesh, a rabbi went to the Western Wall  https://www.jns.org/opinion/on-rosh-chodesh-a-rabbi-went-to-the-western-wall/ • No, Studying Jewish Continuity Doesn’t Encourage Sexual Harassment https://mosaicmagazine.com/picks/history-ideas/2021/04/no-studying-jewish-continuity-doesnt-encourage-sexual-harassment/  

• I recall great enthusiasm in December until the NY government came down like a hammer without concern for the impact of messaging – Why Borough Park has NYC’s lowest vaccination rates https://forward.com/news/467678/why-borough-park-has-nycs-lowest-vaccination-rates/ • About churches but might be helpful to shuls also – 5 ways to make an aging congregation younger https://www.christianpost.com/voices/5-ways-to-make-an-aging-congregation-younger.html  

• ACG – Orthodox Jewish Women Can’t Sing In Front of Men. Instagram Is Giving Them a Voice https://www.glamour.com/story/orthodox-jewish-women-are-barred-from-singing-in-front-of-men-instagram-is-changing-that • An uptick in women’s Talmud study – courtesy of Zoom, podcasts and online tools https://forward.com/news/467586/international-womens-talmud-day-study-zoom-podcasts-online-sefaria/ • Earliest evidence of kosher diet in UK found in 800-year-old animal bones from Oxford https://www.jta.org/quick-reads/earliest-evidence-of-kosher-diet-in-uk-found-in-800-year-old-animal-bones-from-oxford • The term “yayin saruf” first appeared in 1706? I find that ...

• Report analyzes religious groups’ risks of internet ‘de-platforming’, calls for action https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247148/report-analyzes-religious-groups-risks-of-internet-de-platforming-calls-for-action • In surprise twist, enrollment in many Israel gap year programs ‘skyrocketed’ amid pandemic https://forward.com/news/467498/enrollment-israel-gap-year-programs-skyrocketed-amid-pandemic/ • Can America’s Elite Find Religion? https://mosaicmagazine.com/picks/religion-holidays/2021/04/can-americas-elite-find-religion/  

• Full of inaccuracies. This is advocacy, not journalism – Rabbinate reneges on recognition of foreign rabbinical courts https://www.jpost.com/judaism/rabbinate-reneges-on-recognition-of-foreign-rabbinical-courts-exclusive-664579 • We all knew where this was going from the outset. Soon Conservative Jews will say Kaddish for their movement on Zoom – A year into the pandemic, Conservative Jews consider whether to make Zoom prayer permanent https://www.jta.org/2021/04/08/united-states/a-year-into-the-pandemic-conservative-jews-consider-whether-to-make-zoom-prayer-permanent • I don’t know if I’m ...

• The Shocking Decline of Religion in the U.S. https://mosaicmagazine.com/picks/religion-holidays/2021/04/the-shocking-decline-of-religion-in-the-u-s/ • In this Florida synagogue, 5 people committed suicide during the final months of the pandemic. Here’s how the rabbi is coping https://forward.com/news/467206/how-a-florida-rabbi-is-coping-with-a-series-of-pandemic-related-suicides/ • Wedding photographer sues NY over LGBT anti-discrimination law https://www.christianpost.com/news/wedding-photographer-sues-ny-over-lgbt-anti-discrimination-law.html • Policy Changes Drive Orthodox Jews from Amazon https://thejewishvoice.com/2021/04/policy-changes-drive-orthodox-jews-from-amazon/  

• Reconcilable Differences—How Diverse Kehillos Confronted Corona https://hamodia.com/frominyan/reconcilable-differences-diverse-kehillos-confronted-corona/ • Hirschian Humanism After the Holocaust: An Analysis of the Approach of Rabbi Shimon Schwab https://seforimblog.com/2021/04/hirschian-humanism-after-the-holocaust-an-analysis-of-the-approach-of-rabbi-shimon-schwab/  

• Israel is a fake meat powerhouse https://www.wired.co.uk/article/israel-fake-meat • How Duolingo created a Yiddish course https://jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com/how-duolingo-created-a-yiddish-course/  

• J Wertheimer – What the Coronavirus Has Shown—and Concealed—about the Long-Term Health of America’s Many Synagogues https://mosaicmagazine.com/response/religion-holidays/2021/04/what-the-coronavirus-has-shown-and-concealed-about-the-long-term-health-of-americas-many-synagogues/ • For many synagogues, live-streamed services are here to stay after the pandemic https://forward.com/news/466717/for-many-synagogues-live-streamed-services-are-here-to-stay-after-pandemic/ • ACG – Is Social Media Fueling a Women’s Rights Revolution in the Orthodox Jewish Community? https://religionandpolitics.org/2021/03/30/is-social-media-fueling-a-womens-rights-revolution-in-the-orthodox-jewish-community/ • Poll: American Jews report increasing incidents of anti-Semitism, mostly online https://religionnews.com/2021/03/31/poll-american-jews-report-increasing-incidents-of-anti-semitism-mostly-online/  

• Passover seder’s takeaways speak to the woke divide https://www.jns.org/opinion/passover-seders-takeaways-speak-to-the-woke-divide/ • The Lesson of Leaven https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2021/03/the-lesson-of-leaven • Oversight of Orthodox yeshivas becomes a major issue in New York City’s mayoral race https://www.jta.org/2021/03/25/ny/oversight-of-orthodox-yeshivas-becomes-a-major-issue-in-new-york-citys-mayoral-race