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Articles by Douglas B. Sagal
NJ Rep. Chris Smith must defend US health programs | Opinion
New Jersey has long understood that leadership extends beyond our borders. From our faith communities and humanitarian organizations to the many families in our state with deep ties to communities across the globe, New Jerseyans know that compassion, human dignity and moral leadership are responsibilities.
NJ Rep. Chris Smith must defend U.S. health programs | Opinion
The authors urge Congress to maintain robust funding for global health programs in the FY2027 appropriations packages. Programs like PEPFAR, the Global Fund and Gavi have been instrumental in fighting diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith is highlighted as a key leader with a history of supporting these humanitarian efforts. The authors emphasize the moral responsibility to support these programs, which have saved millions of lives and stabilized communities.
NJ Rep. Chris Smith must defend U.S. health programs | Opinion Original
Updated Aug. 4, 2026, 11:29 a.m. ET The authors urge Congress to maintain robust funding for global health programs in the FY2027 appropriations packages. Programs like PEPFAR, the Global Fund and Gavi have been instrumental in fighting diseases such as AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith is highlighted as a key leader with a history of supporting these humanitarian efforts.
Douglas Sagal, at The Blogs
Rabbi Douglas Sagal is currently Rabbi of Temple Beth Sholom Rockland County NY. He has served congregations in Connecticut, Chicago, and New Jersey. He is a past president of the New Jersey Association of Reform Rabbis. Rabbi Sagal is a graduate of Wesleyan University, Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion, Yale Divinity School, and is a Fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute.
At the Israel Day Parade I rejoiced with the Bride
Many years ago, I learned a gemara (passage of Talmud) from my teacher Rabbi David Hartman z’l. If three processions reach a crossroads at exactly the same time, which takes precedence? The three processions are: a bridal procession, a sad funeral procession and the procession of a king. The Talmud in tractate Ketubot 17a ponders this question at length.
At the Israel Day Parade I rejoiced with the Bride
Many years ago, I learned a gemara (passage of Talmud) from my teacher Rabbi David Hartman z’l. If three processions reach a crossroads at exactly the same time, which takes precedence? The three processions are: a bridal procession, a sad funeral procession and the procession of a king. The Talmud in tractate Ketubot 17a ponders this question at length.
Even rabbis need to do mitzvot
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The death of Shireen Abu Akleh and the Meit Mitzva
In the diaspora, the death of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh took place as we were learning the portion of Emor. She was killed in a firefight between Israeli forces and Palestinian gunmen, in Jenin, a place with heavy and difficult associations for Israelis who fought a brutal battle there during the second Intifada and suffered casualties in part because of reluctance to use heavy bombing to clear out terrorists. In Israel, there is always a back story to the back story to the back story.
Don’t use 'Handmaids' to Bash the Hebrew Bible
The potential overturning of Roe V. Wade has given rise to a great deal of discussion regarding “handmaids”-the phrase made popular by author Margaret Atwood in her novel “A Handmaid’s Tale” and the subsequent television series. Many who are outraged by the apparent Supreme Court action are arguing that there are those on the extreme right that wish to turn women into “handmaids”-vessels for childbirth and nothing more.
French soldier mistakenly shoots gun outside Jewish center
A French soldier guarding a Jewish community center in Nice accidentally discharged his weapon outside the building. The soldier fired three shots from his firearm on Thursday outside the city’s Chabad center, according to Le Parisien. The incident ended without injury or damage to property. The weapon was pointing downward and the volley hit the ground, according to the Nice edition of the France 3 television channel.
Bomb threat against 2 planes at Atlanta airport
ATLANTA — Police were searching two planes at Atlanta’s main airport Saturday after authorities received what they described as credible bomb threats. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport spokesman Reese McCranie said the threats targeted a Delta flight and a Southwest flight that landed safely Saturday.
Ex-Israeli ambassador to US: PM should cancel Congress speech
The former Israeli ambassador to the US, Dr. Michael Oren, said Saturday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should cancel his upcoming speech to the US Congress set for March 3, just two weeks before Israeli national elections. In his address, Netanyahu is expected to urge US lawmakers to slap a new round of sanctions on Iran in order to force it to comply with international demands to curb its nuclear program, a move US President Barack Obama strongly opposes and has vowed to veto.
Netanyahu eyes journalist Caroline Glick for Likud Knesset slot
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may offer US-born journalist Caroline Glick a safe slot on the Likud’s list for the March 17 elections. Glick, a senior staffer and columnist of The Jerusalem Post, a writer for Makor Rishon and a senior fellow of the US-based Center for Security Policy, would be given the 11th slot on the Likud Knesset slate, Hebrew media reports said Saturday night.
Jewish victim’s parents suing over Sandy Hook massacre
The family of a Jewish boy killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre is one of two families suing Newtown, Conn., and its school board for alleged lax security. The parents of Noah Pozner, as well as those of Jesse Lewis, filed the lawsuit last month, the Hartford Courant reported Monday. It reportedly is seeking more than $15,000 in damages, as is standard.
Ankara mayor: Mossad behind Paris terror attacks
The longtime mayor of Ankara accused Israel’s Mossad of masterminding last week’s terror attacks in France. Melih Gokcek said Israeli intelligence planned the attacks in retaliation for France recently expressing support for Palestinian statehood, according to Today’s Zaman, an English-language Turkish publication, citing the Andalou news agency. At a political event Sunday, Gokcek said it “is certain that Mossad is behind these kinds of incidents.
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