During the Gaza war this summer, it became clear that one of the most important aspects of the media-saturated conflict between Jews and Arabs is also the least covered: the press itself. The Western press has become less an observer of this conflict than an actor in it, a role with consequences for the millions Read more
It is a poignant coincidence that Popes John XXIII and John Paul II will be canonized as Catholic saints on the eve of Yom Hashoah, the international day of Holocaust remembrance observed in Israel and by Jews around the world. These two popes’ personal narratives are inseparable from the Holocaust, and their reactions to the Read more
New Testament scholars have spent an impressive amount of energy on the study of the historical Jesus and much of it in the last few decades has revolved around his Jewishness. Christian reawakening to the Jewishness of Jesus began in the late nineteenth century but received greater attention as Christians devoted increased attention to Jews Read more
“Messianic Jews “represent themselves as modern-day counterparts of first-century Jewish-Christian followers of Jesus, who, as it were, went underground for almost two millenia only to resurface recently as today’s Jewish messianics!” says Rabbi Michael J. Cook, the Sol and Arlene Bronstein Professor in Judeo-Christian Studies at Hebrew Union College, writes in his book, Modern Jews Engage the Read more
They left at night, thousands of Jewish families, setting out by car, bicycle, streetcar or train. They left the Danish cities they had long called home and fled to the countryside, which was unfamiliar to many of them. Along the way, they found shelter in the homes of friends or business partners, squatted in abandoned Read more
Pope Francis praised Jews in an open letter to Rome’s liberal newspaper “La Repubblica.” The letter was published on the front page of its September 11 edition, and acted as a response to editorials that had addressed the pontiff on issues of religion and faith. The pope’s reply calls for a necessary and open dialogue Read more
Researchers from the University of Illinois wanted to test a previously-held theory that introverted people who suppress emotions about sex and depravity are more creative than people who are more open and extroverted. They discovered that Protestants, or people who grow up in a Protestant communities, can channel suppressed emotions more effectively than their Catholic Read more
It is difficult for us to understand the Spanish Inquisition because we are so used to the separation of church and state in modern times. During the time in which the Inquisition in Spain was most active (1480-1600s), however, heresy was considered a crime similar to political treason because the monarchies of Europe and the Read more
“Given our common roots, a Christian cannot be an anti-Semite!” Pope Francis has declared to a delegation from a broad-based coalition of Jewish organisations representing Judaism to other religions. The Pope said Christians and Jews can work together to challenge the contemporary problems of secularism and disrespect for the human person. “Humanity needs our joint Read more
David Stoliar’s neat house sits atop a hill on the edge of Bend, a small city in central Oregon. A few steps lead up to the front door. Stoliar’s wife, Marda, opens, followed by a happy beagle. “Come in,” she says cheerfully. “Come in.” Her husband is waiting in the living room, surrounded by souvenirs Read more