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Licht Observed: Evan Fallenberg’s “Light Fell”

September 10th, 2008 · No Comments · Culture and Ideas

Haim Watzman

Joseph Licht, a religious Israeli with a devoted wife, five young sons, and a budding academic career attends a Torah class in Jerusalem given by a young rabbinic prodigy. The two men fall in love and conduct a passionate affair, leading Joseph to abandon his family and his religion—on the same day that his [...]

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Jewish Literature As It Ought To Be: Naomi Alderman’s “Disobedience”

July 25th, 2008 · 4 Comments · Culture and Ideas

Haim Watzman
Last month I published an essay in the Jewish Chronicle of London in which I asserted that something is missing from most of the literature being produced by and about Jews today: “What I seek are books that, without being bound by conventions of religion and history, nevertheless use familiarity with and respect for [...]

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More on Gay Families: The Halachic Challenge

April 9th, 2008 · No Comments · Judaism and Religion

Thanks to Jeff Greer for responding to my post Gay Families: The Halachic Challenge and mentioning an important book for those interested in the subject, Rabbi Steven Greenberg’s “Wrestling with God and Man”. Greenberg is a gay Orthodox Jew who is doing important work to find a place for gay men and women in traditional [...]

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Gay Families: The Halachic Challenge

April 7th, 2008 · 4 Comments · Judaism and Religion

Sick of hearing about settlements, human rights violations, and Jeremiah Wright? Want to read something happy for a change? Take a look at Caryn Aviv’s story about “My Big Fat Gay Jewish Family” in yesterday’s Ha’aretz-English edition.
Loving, happy families with gay parents present a challenge—but a potentially productive one—for Orthodox Jewish halacha. As long as [...]

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