Special Section: Frum on the Frontier
Mention Edmonton, Alberta, and what comes to mind? The very name evokes a shiver, conjuring images of blizzards and bitter cold. Some may recall that the world’s largest mall is located within its city limits. But Edmonton as the center of a vibrant Jewish community? No one would have thought it—that is,
not until the arrival of Rabbi Daniel Friedman.
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On a recent Friday afternoon, Rabbi Uri Topolosky, the thirty-something-year-old spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Israel in Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans, walked the few blocks from his house to the rear entrance of a one-story building across from the canal along West Esplanade Avenue. Crossing the parking lot, he passed the blue-and-white sign outside the door identifying the congregation.
Memoir
Memories of a Third-Generation American Assimilated Jew and How She Found Her Way Back to the Land Her Soul Calls Home
Special Section: Jewish Outreach
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Houston, which has grown into the nation’s fourth-largest city but is better known for Stetsons than for Borsalinos, is the new face of Jewish outreach in the United States. Its kiruv, outreach, programs represent the current trend of outreach efforts that bring traditional Judaism to the largely non-Orthodox American Jewish population.
Rabbi Glenn Black of Toronto believes in giving credit where credit is due. In exchange for high school credit, he’s convincing thousands of unaffiliated Jewish teenagers to give up two and a half hours of their sacred after-school time to attend a rejuvenated version of the traditional Hebrew school. Some might call it incentive, others bribery, but one thing’s for sure—it’s working.
In recent years, there has been a steady and worrisome erosion in Jewish identity among many Israelis. This is especially true with regard to the youth. Influenced by Western and secular mores, large sectors of the Israeli public have developed a looser sense of connection with Jewish history and Jewish destiny.
Nature & Science
Society
Family Matters
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