The Sensible Jew

The proposal to legally hand over the rights to the word ‘kosher’ to the Jewish establishment is even more troubling than it initially appeared from the article in this week’s AJN.
Thankfully some in the blogosphere have stood up and spoken up against this proposal.
The AJN, on the other hand, only wrote about the need for [...]

Hi all.
Due to offline work commitments, Yaron and I have been scarce around here, but an extremely serious matter has brought us out of hibernation.
It even prompted Yaron to write to his Federal Member of Parliament, Kelly O’Dwyer. Below is an edited version of that letter:
“As a member of the Jewish community, it was [...]

Unfortunately any scandals or misdeeds associated with a religion – or more often, with religious leaders – will always be used by some as a refutation of the religion itself. “Don’t shoot the messenger,” is a well-worn cliché, but perhaps as important is the notion that that the message – if useful or relevant [...]

The blog, YourJC, has a post that provides one of the smartest arguments for the urgent need for diversification  of Jewish religious life in this country. Highly recommended.
Yaron and I will be back next week. Till then, we wish you Shabbat Shalom and a wonderful weekend.

Riots, Religiosity, and The Broken Bridge
My Israeli family had an unusual gift: they could always find a riot to stumble upon accidentally.
Back in 1994, when I was young and studying in Israel, my uncle and aunty* loved nothing more than to drive me back to Jerusalem after Shabbat (the Sabbath). They lived close to Tel [...]

We hope everyone has had an enjoyable long weekend and that our observant Jewish readers are surviving the dietary rigours of Pessach.
The next post will be up on Wednesday.
I will respond to themes touched on by Yaron in his post on the Rabbi Elon sex scandal. My post will  explore the secular/religious divide from a [...]

Turf Wars, Tradition, and Innovation: The Case of the Soft Matzah
The recent entrance of a soft Matza into Melbourne’s kosher-for-Passover marketplace has brought the sort of furious controversy that seems to follow almost any religious innovation or attempt at doing something outside the “authorised leadership” in the Jewish community.
Matzah, for the uninitiated, is the “bread” [...]

Hi everyone. As mentioned in earlier posts, the Pessach (Passover) festival begins tonight and lasts for eight days. The next post will be up on Thursday.

Alex’s Note: For those unfamiliar with the intricacies of the Jewish festival of Passsover (known in Hebrew as, Pessach), it is more than a simple commemoration of the Jews’ exodus from Egypt and liberation from slavery. The celebration lasts eight days, with the first two nights devoted to elaborate, ritualised dinners. Even devoutly irreligious Jews [...]