Culture

Two Perspectives on Presbyterian Divestment from U.S. Multinationals that Sustain the Occupation

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it’s hard to get the two sides in the Jewish world to sit together and discuss the issues, since anyone who supports even the very limited form of divestment proposed by the Presbyterians is, as J Street’s Jeremy Ben Ami said recently in explaining his opposition to any form of Boycotts, Divestments or Sanctions, crossing “a red line” and hence, in the view of the Jewish establishment, automatically suspect of being anti-Semitic. We believe a public debate is a more healthy way to conduct this discussion,

Culture

Laughing in Prison – A Short Reflection

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To celebrate the five year anniversary of Project TURN’s classes inside NC prisons, Ben Theimer, a Duke Divinity student, shared a short reflection about his TURN experience and laughter in prison.

Culture

CA Leaders Ask SF Archbishop To Cancel Participation In Anti-Gay Event

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We are proud that Rabbi Michael Lerner, co-chair of the NSP– Network of Spiritual Progressives, and rabbi of Beyt Tikkun Synagogue-Without-Walls, stood with other community leaders in urging the conservative Catholic archbishop of San Francisco to withdraw from an anti-homosexual group’s rally in Washington, D.C. Read about it here.

Culture

Bergdahl and the Broader Conversation

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To many, Bob Bergdahl himself is a traitor, learning about the enemy in a way that many just don’t understand. The controversy surrounding him is almost as big as that surrounding his son Bowie. Yet that is all politics, and we must recognize it as such. Muslims are not evil, Islam is not evil, and understanding the enemy is not the same as being a traitor. Let’s focus on the real – humanitarian – issues, not the political ones.

Empathy

My Letter to Bob Bergdahl

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‘A letter to Bob Bergdahl’ is a beautiful display of support and camaraderie for the man who overcame pain and grief in the face of his son’s capture, and learned that empathy and understanding of one’s so-called ‘enemies’ can be the most effective path to healing.