Judaism

Jewish man prays at altar with pews behind him, USA flag in background

A gift from small-town Iowa brings light to Paraguay’s capital

Religion

Ottumwa, Iowa’s centenarian B’nai Jacob synagogue held its final service in May — but the congregation’s story lives on in the heart of South America through one of its Torahs, the sacred Jewish text.

Ivanka Trump Jared Kushner inauguration

Does Israel recognize Ivanka Trump’s Jewishness? It does now.

Global Politics
For the Jewish ritual of Kaparot, a person's sins are symbolically transferred to a chicken, and then the chicken is slaughtered.

My sins are cleared for the year, but the chicken wasn’t so lucky

Religion
Shimon Peres was a proud holder of an Israeli organ donor card.

Shimon Peres wanted Israelis to be organ donors — like him

Belief
Visitors to the new Space of Synagogues memorial place stones in remembrance of the dead in Lviv, Ukraine on Sept. 4.

Why Ukraine’s newest Holocaust memorial is so important

Culture
Fatima Elati

Two friends find common ground in a divided Holland

Belief

A sense of mutual distrust has descended upon Amsterdam’s Muslim and Jewish communities. Anti-Semitic attacks are on the rise and Jewish institutions are now guarded by police. Despite this, two activists — one Jewish, and one Muslim — have found common ground, and friendship, though not without personal cost.

A Palestinian teenager checks his Facebook account, keeping tabs on the back and forth violence between Palestinians and Israelis.

Escalating Middle East violence helped along by social media

Conflict

In the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, both sides use social media as armor — and ammo.

Cantor Chaim Adler looks over the sheet music from the Kol Nidre prayer, sung on the eve of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement.

The best free concert in Jerusalem takes place on Yom Kippur

Culture

The Jerusalem Great Synagogue Choir is the only institutional synagogue choir in Israel. No other choir in the world is expected to do what this kind of choir does — to work all day on Yom Kippur without food or drink, and to uphold a central part of the European Jewish synagogue tradition going back to at least the 16th century.

Torah

Becoming Jewish at a Catholic university

Belief

Spirituality is a constant hum of white noise at Boston College, and I needed something to put there while everyone else was at 10:30 mass. What I found was Judaism.

The World

A ‘stimulating’ film is causing a stir in Israel

Lifestyle

Plenty of religions tell their members that masturbation is a sin, but few are willing to go to the lengths of ultra-Orthodox Jews to make sure the rule is followed. That struggle is the subject of a new documentary, “Sacred Sperm,” from an ultra-Orthodox filmmaker who lives that temptation.