Before planning to live together in union, one should carefully consider the cultural and religious differences and how one will deal with them after the marriage commitment.
Since childhood, we are taught ideal philosophies like we all are equal, one God, gender equality, secularism, brotherhood, etc. Moral books are full of such teachings. But when we grow up and get to know someone else whom we would like to take as a partner to go together through life it all becomes different, suddenly religion, culture, skin colour, genetic makeup, or country of origin matter a lot.
In this article, we look at the result of an American survey and the way different Jewish branches handle the way of life and marriage of their people.
An estimated 1.3 million people were sent to Auschwitz, and 1.1 million died there including 960,000 Jews. When 75 years ago, the 100th and 322nd divisions of the Soviet Army’s “1st Ukrainian Front” reached the Nazi concentration and extermination camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau they could not believe their eyes. Lots more soldiers came to see similar horror places and being disgusted by that what seemed inhuman many became convinced the whole world should know about this and should make sure this could never happen again.
These days of the Passover festival are ideal to show to the world how we all together should go for a peaceful world where everybody, whatever their faith can live together and are prepared to reach out a helping hand when needed.
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To remember
burning of Notre Dame de Paris = fitting metaphor for current moment, when religious engagement is on the decline in the West, + order of the Old World continues to slip away.
living in a time in which many Jewish people feel kinship with Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, + Buddhist neighbors > our partners in faith
Religious differences historically yielded enmity + outright hatred between people of different faiths
blood libel accusations > Jews in medieval Europe falsely accused of killing Christian children to use their blood for making matzah, often emerged around this time of year.
open the door “for Elijah” during seder = attempt to show non-Jewish neighbors > are not doing anything nefarious.
open door = metaphor for seeking opportunities to collaborate with our neighbors for the common good.
special guest, Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, diplomat from the Maldives, United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion > last big project documenting human rights abuses in Iran + preparing report on worldwide anti-Semitism to be delivered to the United Nations General Assembly next fall.
Mark Potok, formerly of the Southern Poverty Law Center and a well-known authority on hate groups,
Ira Forman, Oren Segal, Mark Molinari, Steven Bayme, Brian Levin, Jeff Finkelstein+ Seth Adelson seated around the table.
U.S.A.
has seen annual increases in hate crimes vastly over-represented
Hate crimes against Jews are vastly over-represented; 13% of all hate crimes = anti-Semitic.
White supremacists focus fighting the “white genocide,” “engineered by Jews” + the web to foment horrible ideas about Jews.
Anti-Semitism = evident on the left and the right of political spectrum
It was indeed tragic to watch Notre Dame de Paris on fire last week, to ache for the loss of a building so deeply connected to the history of Paris and Europe, to lament the destruction of antiquities and works of art. But the burning of Notre Dame is, I am sorry to report, a fitting metaphor for our current moment, when religious engagement is on the decline in the West, and the order of the Old World continues to slip away.
Gargoyles of Notre Dame
It is notable to me that we are living in a time in which many Jewish people feel kinship with our Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhist neighbors, our partners in faith; consider the interfaith cooperation that has happened here in Pittsburgh in the wake of the 18th of Heshvan (the Hebrew date of Oct. 27th, 2018) – the local Muslim community fundraising…
Presenting a website in defence of Non-Trinitarian groups and people who prefer to keep on Biblical doctrines and loving the Most High Only Supreme Highest Being, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah.
There are people who find occupation is the sheer existence of Israel and her people. The many actions we see Israel undertaking now may indicate that lots of people in Israel either do not know or do not want to know about God His Plan and His Way of doing things or (worse) do not currently know Him.
The Jewish Concerns Forum dreads the thought of another conflict in the Middle East like in 2014, only this time the Prime Minister is Jeremy Corbyn. Add to this scenario some economic hardship, brought about by Brexit, the need for a scapegoat increases and the people know exactly where to look.