27/11/2009

Kesher Whisky Trail, 22-24 February 2009

In our tireless quest for novel Jewish experiences, Kesher recently took a group of sixteen Jewish travel enthusiasts of varying backgrounds and nationalities on a Scottish Whisky Trail. After trips of Jewish discovery of a Safari - “Jewish inspiration in the African bush”; Djerba - the ancient “Jewish Island” off the coast of Tunisia; Andalucia and Gibraltar; and Budapest and environs, on this occasion we went to explore the rugged beauty and, in particular, the world-famous ‘spiritual’ resources of the Scottish Highland.

The tour was led by Rabb...

04/06/2009

The atheist's dilemma

By Paul Campos, Rocky Mountain News
Published February 20, 2008

Why is Stanley Fish so much smarter than Richard Dawkins? That question occurred to me last week, while attending a lecture at which Fish, the well-known literary and legal theorist, did the thing he always does, which is to make the following point over and over again:

"No believer will find his faith shaken by evidence that is evidence only in the light of assumptions he does not share and considers flatly wrong."

Richard Dawkins is, I'm told by persons whose authority I accept on faith, a d...

18/05/2009

'Seasons of the Moon' by Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair
Reviewed by Quang-Tuan Luong

Seasons of the Moon, by Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair
Hardcover, 176 pages
Focus Publishing (September 2008)
11.5 x 9.5 inches

$54.95 at Amazon Marketplace

Seasons of the Moon is a book of black and white photography mixed with essays and poems. It is structured around twelve key images, one for each month of the year. Each of those images is a striking and otherworldly scene that makes you wonder how it was photographed. Illustrating the title of the book, they appear to be nocturnal and mysteriou...

09/02/2009

Next Year In Jerusalem
In the book, “Anatomy of a Search”, Rabbi Akiva Tatz tells a story of a young Jewish man searching for
meaning in the East who was given an article by my sister Ellen Willis in Rolling Stone magazine. The monk
who gave him the article, a Jew who had become a Buddhist, suggested that he read the article and go check
out his own heritage first in Jerusalem.
I can vouch for the story, because he came first to find me in Jerusalem. And his story wasn’t unique, because
many spiritual seekers over the years found their search reflected in my sister’s article. It can prob...

27/01/2009

Questions and Answers about Operation Cast Lead, to help you understand recent events.

Why did Israel launch Operation Cast Lead now, even though Hamas began firing rockets at Israel in 2001?

Since 2001, Israel has tried a range of measures to prevent rocket fire and weapons smuggling, including import restrictions and pinpointed military action. Israel even entered into an informal arrangement with Hamas, leading to a six-month ceasefire - which Hamas chose not to renew, deciding instead to escalate the situation. Israel tried to continue the ceasefire. Like any democracy, Israel needs...

23/12/2008

Test your knowledge and impress your friends by entering the
KESHER HANUKKAH QUIZ
(answers below - but no cheating!)

1) The holiday of Hanukkah marks

a) the Jewish victory against the Philistines
b) the Jewish victory against the Christians
c) the Jewish victory against the Syrian Greeks
d) the Jewish victory in the Greek Olympics

2) The Greeks issued drastic decrees including

a) forbidding investments in hedge funds
b) forbidding the eating of oily foods
c) forbidding circumcision
d) forbidding the lighting of the Menorah in the Temple

3) Who was the father of Yehudah ...

26/11/2008

Read on for a provocative opinion piece on finding a spouse--an emotive and relevant topic which serves as the centrepiece of the Torah Reading of Vayera.

Parental Matchmaking still Works
by Jonathan Rosenblum
Jerusalem Post
November 13, 2008
Jewish marriage has always been a familial and communal affair, not just an individual decision. When Avraham decided it was time for Yitzchak to marry, he summoned his trusted servant Eliezer and gave him detailed instructions about where and from what family to seek a bride.

Standing at the well, Eliezer devised a test to ensure that the maide...

24/11/2008

The following is an essay which praises Jewish values, albeit from an unlikely source. In honest discussion on the state of Muslim education, Dr Farrukh Saleem expounds on the success of Jews worldwide and explains why they have achieved such success and fame.



April 11, 2007
Why are Jews so Powerful, and Muslims so Powerless?
By: Dr. Farrukh Saleem*
Why are Jews so powerful?

There are only 14 million Jews in the world; seven million in the Americas, five million in Asia, two million in Europe and 100,000 in Africa. For every single Jew in the world there are 100 Muslims. Yet, Jews...