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Articles by Arnold D. Samlan
Celebrating Democracy & the Vote
Preface: I am a registered independent voter, who has been both a registered Republican and a registered Democrat in recent years, because, in Florida, one is required to register for a party in order to vote in primary elections. And my preferred candidates are not defined by the parties with which they are affiliated. It’s different in the United States: American elections allow a one to vote for individual candidates, and do not require a voter to choose an entire party slate.
The Blogs: Be Smart in 5786
Some of you know that I spend way too much time on social media. Much of it is a waste of time, but much of it also has connected me to smart people who share thinking with me. So, one year, I went to my online friends on social media, specifically X (back when it was Twitter) and Facebook and asked the following: As we near Rosh Hashana, the conclusion of the Jewish New Year, what image summarizes the year for you?
The Blogs: Being a Post-Ashkenazi Jew
As Passover approaches, the diversity of practices between Jewish communities becomes more pronounced, visible, and even controversial.
Rosh Hashana Prayer for Jewish Communal Pros
It’s not that our jobs were easy to begin with. But in successive waves, we have supported our communities, our students, our members through: Global Pandemic Racial and Social Unrest Political Conflicts The Russian Invasion of Ukraine The Hamas Terrorist Attack on Israel The Ongoing War Between Hamas/Hezbollah/Houthis and Israel And while we personally were not on the front line of all of these, we were impacted severely by each.
How Good American Jews Vote - Arnold D. Samlan
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How Good American Jews Vote
There are people out there – candidates as well as Jewish leaders – who will insist that, in U.S. elections, Jews who are serious about their Jewishness and about their relationship with Israel, have only one choice about who to vote for. I’m here to tell you that, just as there is more than one way to do Jewish and to love Israel, there is more than one way to vote. American Jews have never been monolithic in political leanings, and going back to the Civil War, even lined up on both sides.
The Kedusha / Holiness of the U.S. Elections
Before sharing my thoughts, allow me to introduce myself: I am a proud registered Independent voter in the United States. Because the state of Florida denies the right to vote in primaries to anyone who is not registered with a political party, my voter registration history shows, at different times, that I am a Republican and a Democrat, depending on the year. And as soon as I leave the polling place, I re-register as an Independent. Which is what I really am. An Independent.
Welcome to the Mishpacha: Love Note To Non-Jews in Jewish & Israel Organizations
Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its partners assume any responsibility for them. Please contact us in case of abuse. In case of abuse, Report this post. My Dear Non-Jewish Colleagues: I know I’ve thanked you before over the years, but this time is different.
Hug a Jewish communal professional this week - Arnold D. Samlan
Columnists Actual . Favourites . Archive Aa Aa Aa - A + ..... © The Times of Israel (Blogs) visit website
Hug a Jewish communal professional this week
We’re tired. And yet also energized. This is what it feels like to work in the American Jewish community today. I’m not kvetching. Lord knows, what we who work in the Jewish community do is nowhere near putting our lives on the line the way that our Israel brothers and sisters (including many Israelis who are not Jewish) are doing today to defend Israel, and by extension, to defend all Jews. But yes, this is exhausting.
How Jews Are Religiously Loving Israel Today
As I write this, we are 10 days out from the most horrible terrorist attack to ever hit Israel. Despite being a shomer Shabbat Jew, my Simchat Torah, for all practical purposes, ended early, as we learned through word of mouth what had occurred in Israel.
Jonah and the Gift of Rejection
Can we talk about rejection for a bit? Everyone’s experienced rejection. From a boyfriend, girlfriend, maybe even a spouse. From a job you really wanted, or one you already had. Maybe we’ve been rejected as a blood donor or organ donor. And for sure our insurance companies rejected us for coverage of procedures or medications. And by a certain point in our lives, we’ve been at both the receiving and the giving end of rejection. On Yom Kippur, the entire book of Jonah is going to be chanted.
Rosh Hashana 2: How'd We Get Stupid About Israel?
Sep 10, 2021, 11:35 PM Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its partners assume any responsibility for them. Please contact us in case of abuse. In case of abuse, Report this post. Shana tova. This d’var Torah continues my High Holiday theme: Where Are We, How Did We Get Here, and What Do We Do Now.
Yizkor for Those Who Suffered Trauma
Sep 25, 2020, 9:49 PM Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its partners assume any responsibility for them. Please contact us in case of abuse. In case of abuse, Report this post.
Yom Kippur 2020: We Should Have Learned Humility
Sep 24, 2020, 11:14 PM Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its partners assume any responsibility for them. Please contact us in case of abuse. In case of abuse, Report this post. As we approach Yom Kippur, I’m thinking about the Al Chet confessional that we recite then.
Are You Missing Your Synagogue Enough?
Sep 13, 2020, 9:30 PM Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its partners assume any responsibility for them. Please contact us in case of abuse. In case of abuse, Report this post. What if We Don’t Miss our Shuls Enough?
My US Election Endorsements!
Jul 13, 2020, 8:01 PM Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its partners assume any responsibility for them. Please contact us in case of abuse. In case of abuse, Report this post. I know what you’re thinking: That I am going to tell you who I am backing in the 2016 presidential elections in the United States.
How Lenny Dykstra Inspired me to study Daf Yomi
Jan 31, 2020, 3:42 AM Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its partners assume any responsibility for them. Please contact us in case of abuse. In case of abuse, Report this post.
Heart Map & The Song of Our Ancestors - New Book
Nov 1, 2019, 12:59 AM Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its partners assume any responsibility for them. Please contact us in case of abuse. In case of abuse, Report this post.
Wearing my Judaism in public - Germany and America
May 30, 2019, 5:44 AM Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its partners assume any responsibility for them. Please contact us in case of abuse. In case of abuse, Report this post.
How to Earn my (Jewish) Vote in the US
Mar 13, 2019, 8:49 PM Please note that the posts on The Blogs are contributed by third parties. The opinions, facts and any media content in them are presented solely by the authors, and neither The Times of Israel nor its partners assume any responsibility for them. Please contact us in case of abuse. In case of abuse, Report this post.
The End of the Innocence for American Jews
Since the mass murder at Shabbat services at Tree of Life (and no, the irony of the name and the events isn’t lost on me), the thought that keeps rising in my head is: The innocence of the American Jewish community died last week. Having worked in Jewish organizations for my entire career, I have generally felt removed from anti-Semitism. Sure, there was always that stray person who would ask me “where are your horns?”, but they were few and far between.
It's Nobody's Fault and It's Everybody's Fault
As the director of security at one Jewish organization said to me: It was bound to happen, it was only a question of when and where. It was yesterday and it was at Tree of Life, a congregation in Pittsburgh. The finger-pointing and blame game began almost immediately. It was the president’s fault. It was the fault of the liberals who want gun control. It was the fault of the victims, because their synagogue didn’t have armed guard (I have no idea whether it did or not, by the way).
May You Find Balance in This Off Balance Season
By this point, those of us who are fairly traditional Jews begin to get confused every year. These weeks are disorienting, as we work for a few days of each work week, take a few days off, work again and off again — all while trying to do a full week’s work in half the days. A similar disorientation is actually part of the holiday of Sukkot that begins late Sunday: Then we go out to the Sukkah to eat, come back inside, go back outside.
Cleaning Up our Act & our Communications
זַֽדְנוּ – We have sinned with malicious intent טָפַֽלְנוּ שֶֽׁקֶר – We have added falsehood upon falsehood צָרַֽרְנוּ – We have caused others to suffer For the sin we committed before You through impure speech… For the sin we committed before You through the words of our mouths … For the sin we committed before You through free hatred… In all, there are around a dozen or more references to how and what we communicate that are on the list of what we seek forgiveness for at this season.
Welcome to Palestine? My smart phone just went stupid
As I write this, I am in Jerusalem, celebrating the 69th anniversary of Israel’s birth, along with thousands of participants in the International March of the Living from around the world. My group from Broward County, Florida have just traveled through Poland to see the sites at which the Nazis and their associates tried to annihilate the Jews of Europe.
Your Passover relevance is killing my seder
I love Pesach/Passover. Love participating in a seder. Love leading a seder. To me, a seder is a magical time that brings together families and friends for food, celebration and meaningful conversation. The Haggadah, which guides the evening, is not a stationary document. It is dynamic, having evolved over (at least) several centuries and has had more than a few revisions and variant versions over the centuries since it was (somewhat) canonized.
Is Our Discourse Fit For Jews?
“Although the House of Shammai and the House of Hillel disagreed, the House of Shammai did not, nevertheless, abstain from marrying women of the House of Hillel, nor did the House of Hillel refrain from marrying those of the House of Shammai.
How an Orthodox Rabbi Became A Reform Jewish Educator
In 1979, I was ordained as a rabbi by a prominent yeshiva. My training prepared me to become a modern Orthodox rabbi, presumably in a congregation. I previously served as a Jewish youth educator in the Chicago region of NCSY and as a visiting staff member for other regions around the Midwest.
Jewish prayer needs to respond to public tragedies like Orlando massacre
The mass murders that took place in a club in Orlando occurred during the holiday of Shavuot. On the following day, synagogues throughout the world had these options available to them: I’m going to guess that few did the first (Mi Sheberach), fewer did the second (Yizkor), some percentage did the third (re-writing their divrei Torah) and a significant number did nothing or next to nothing.
BBC: Stop talking about the Holocaust?
Should the world stop talking about the Holocaust? The answer might be obvious to many, but the BBC wants to open it up to discussion. As part of its special International Holocaust Remembrance Day programming, the BBC One show The Big Questions held a discussion on the lessons of the Holocaust, and how it is remembered today. The show, which aired Sunday, featured rabbis, academics, survivors, and educators. Some Twitter users didn’t take especially kindly to the question.
Former soccer star Eli Ohana to join Jewish Home
A Channel 2 poll Monday night showed the Zionist Camp three points clear of Likud, 50 days ahead of the March 17 elections, as Yesh Atid presented its list of candidates and the Jewish Home was said to recruit former soccer star Eli Ohana to its ranks. The Channel 2 poll gave the Zionist Camp (the merged Labor-Hatnua list) 26 seats, Likud 23, Jewish Home 15, the new united Arab list 12, Yesh Atid 9, Kulanu 8, Yisrael Beytenu 7, Shas 7, United Torah Judaism 7 and Meretz 6.
Neo-Nazi Golden Dawn holds steady in Greek elections
ATHENS, Greece — The neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party remained the third-largest party in Greece following elections. In Sunday’s balloting, Golden Dawn received 6.3 percent of the vote, giving it 17 seats in the 300-member national parliament. Nearly all of the votes had been counted. The far-left Syriza party fell one seat short of a majority needed to govern alone as Greeks embraced its promise to end six years of economic austerity.
Former Nazi loses Canadian citizenship
TORONTO — Nazi-era war-crimes suspect Helmut Oberlander has lost an appeal to keep his Canadian citizenship. In a ruling made public last week, Canada’s Federal Court rejected the claim of Oberlander, 90, that he served Nazi Germany under duress. The court’s verdict upheld an earlier government decision. Oberlander failed to show that he had made any effort to leave the Einsatzkommando Nazi death squad, which he served as an interpreter, the court ruled.
Abbas backs Egypt crackdown on Gaza tunnels
CAIRO, Egypt — Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said he supported Egypt’s crackdown on tunnels linking the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip to the Sinai Peninsula and any other action the country took to protect itself from militants, according to a media report Thursday.
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