Parashat Vayeshev : Was it God’s plan?
Ellen Frankel (Author of “The Five Books of Miriam”) askes the following, thought-provoking question: “Why doesn’t Joseph tell his dreams to the women of the family? Why does he tell…
Rabbi Adrian Michael Schell
Proudly Jewish - Proudly Progressive
Rabbi Adrian Michael Schell
Proudly Jewish - Proudly Progressive
It’s our right to light
It’s our right to light : This Hanukkah, No Discrimination of Women at the Kotel On November 30, 2015 the Attorney General’s office wrote a letter to Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz,…
Parashat Vayishlach: Taking Jacob-Israel as a paradigm
In parshat Vayishlach Jacob’s name is changed to Israel, not once but twice. The first time, in 32:29, Jacob is named by a “man” after spending all night wrestling with…
Gathering Voices – Combatting global racism and anti-Semitism
Last Sunday I was invited to attend the SAJBD conference and subsequent Gala Dinner of the SAJBD 48th Biennial National Conference, titled “Gathering Voices – Combatting global racism and anti-Semitism”.…
Parashat Vayetzei: If you give me – then I promise to go to synagogue every Shabbat
A joke is told about the New York man driving around desperately seeking a parking place. He can’t find one, and so in desperation, he says, “Oh God I pray…
Is there a place for feminism in the Middle East today?
On Tuesday morning I attended with several of our ITJ students an “Exclusive Women’s Breakfast” organised by Sharon Wapnick, WIZO. Dr Einat Wilf, the invited guest speaker, led a discussion…
ParashatToldot: Isaac represents the ideal – the messianic world
This week’s Torah portion begins with the phrase, V’eileh toldot Yitzchak ben Avraham, “This is the line of Isaac son of Abraham” (Genesis 25:19), indicating that the text is now…
“Charter of Compassion”
Last Tuesday I was invited to Radio Today to take part in a discussion about “Charter of Compassion” with Gillian Godsell and Archdeacon Michelle Pilet from the Anglican Church in Parkhurst.…
Allow ourselves to take time and go for a check- up
There so many subjects that I could write about this week: 20 years since Itzhak Rabin was murdered, America’s main modern Orthodox rabbinical association voted last week to ban women clergy, the…
Parashat Chayei Sarah: Honouring our matriarchs
Have you noticed how “matriarchal” Genesis is? It is true that the “founders” of Judaism are the three patriarchs – three men – but it was their mothers and not…