Your blogs

  • Women of the Wall & us taking action

    Rabbi Aaron Gol...
    May 12, 2013

    You would think that the Rabbis of the Kotel, the Western Wall of the Temple of Jerusalem, would be delighted that way over 5000 people thronged into the holy space to mark Rosh Chodesh the beginning of the Hebrew month of Sivan, many thousands more than would ordinarily be in attendance. Indeed, they would have been delighted that the vast majority were haredim, ultra-orthodox Jews. The majority had been shipped from seminaries, were female and organized by a new organization, Women For The Wall to oppose the rights of women to pray as they wish, wearing religious garments. They came with good intentions to peacefully protest.

    Unfortunately, they were joined by males, mainly teenagers from seminaries who had only come to hurl abuse and in some cases objects including water bottles, chairs and stones at the hundreds of women who had dared to gather to pray at the Kotel. Many of the Women For The Wall stood to protect those who had gathered in tallitot and tefillin even though sharply disagreed with the practice.

    Women of the Wall have been gathering to mark Rosh Chodesh for quarter of a century. So why on this occasion did thousands come to pray or protest rather than the usual handful?

  • Who is Bert Tann?

    Leon A Smith
    May 10, 2013

    Bert Tann – who you may ask is Bert Tann? To me it’s a name evocative of the 1960s. Bert Tann of course died in 1972. He was the Bristol Rovers manager for 18 years from 1950 to 1968 At one point he was the longest serving manager post-war. His accomplishments as Bristol Rovers manager were in relative terms considerable. Bristol Rovers finished 6th in Division 2 in 1956 and 1959. Quite an achievement. Yet even his life’s work has been eclipsed by Sir Alex Ferguson who far exceeded Burt’s tenure and his accomplishments were even greater. Sir Alex’s rein endured for some 26 years!

    Longevity in organisations can be a very positive thing. A safe and trusted pair of hands and continuity are vitally important factors. I do appreciate that the link/parallel between Sir Alex Ferguson, Bert Tann and myself is stretching credibility a smidgeon but how ever tenuous that link might be, it is still one that I want to make.

    Some of my readers will know I have now been working for Nightingale Hammerson (Nightingale House) for 40 years and I have been the Chief Executive for 16 years. That’s quite a long time. Indeed, I started work at Nightingale House just a year after Bert died (no direct connection there!). I will now be stepping down from the role of Chief Executive of our Charity and will take on a new role as an external ambassador focussing on fundraising and representing the organisation within the community and the care sector. I am very much looking forward to this exciting new role.

  • SCoJeC Rebukes Church of Scotland Over Report

    SCoJeC
    May 3, 2013

    The document from the Church and Society Council on "The Inheritance of Abraham" is an outrage to everything that interfaith dialogue stands for. It reads like an Inquisition-era polemic against Jews and Judaism. It is biased, weak on sources, and contradictory. The picture it paints of both Judaism and Israel is barely even a caricature. The arrogance of telling the Jewish people how to interpret Jewish texts and Jewish theology is breathtaking.
    http://www.scojec.org/news/2013/13v_cos/cos.html

« first‹ previous123456789…next ›last »