http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php en nrubin@jewishtimes.com Copyright 2012 2012-02-10T19:04:19+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/voices_heard/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/voices_heard/#When:19:00:00Z When you cast a ballot in an election, you express your voice by choosing a candidate who addresses your concerns for your family, community and the state and county in which you live. Every election shapes our society. Many people wrongly believe their role in politics ends when they leave the election booth. That certainly is not the… Opinion - Comment 2012-02-09T19:00:00+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/end_death_penalty/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/end_death_penalty/#When:19:00:53Z As leaders of a regional rabbinic association and a statewide civil rights organization, we represent two distinct communities —  Jews and African-Americans — with strong histories of working together to end injustice. We share profound objections to Maryland’s continued use of the death penalty and call upon our communities to engage in the opportunity to end it… Opinion - Comment 2012-02-02T19:00:53+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/avenging_heroes/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/avenging_heroes/#When:19:00:23Z It was prophetic. In March of 1941 (some nine months before Pearl Harbor), two Jews drew Captain America punching Hitler right in the face, knocking him for a loop. That now iconic, inaugural issue of the soon-to-be famous superhero was so ingrained into pop culture then, it became a scene acted out in the 2011 movie, “Captain… Opinion - Comment 2012-01-26T19:00:23+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/speaking_up/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/speaking_up/#When:03:00:23Z When I was in Hebrew school, I remember hearing of areas in Israel where men would throw rocks at you if you were dressed immodestly. I understood this to mean a modern American style of summer dress — tank top, shorts. I understood that much in the way I covered my shoulders and threw on the long… Opinion - Comment 2012-01-20T03:00:23+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/role_models1/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/role_models1/#When:18:59:59Z What is the right age to start exposing your children to charitable giving? Some say it’s a good idea to introduce the concept of tzedakah as early as possible, that life lessons are best learned when children are young.  Others say it’s better to wait until a child is ready to take on the responsibility from a place… Opinion - Comment 2012-01-12T18:59:59+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/jews_worst_enemies/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/jews_worst_enemies/#When:19:00:35Z I write with a grave heart born of a sense of fear, shame and disgust at recent actions of members of Jerusalem’s Haredi community, whose unilateral acts of violence against Israeli citizens climaxed last week in that unforgettable incident at Bet Shemesh; 8-year-old Na’amah Margolis was spat upon and screamed at for not having totally covered up her… Opinion - Comment 2012-01-05T19:00:35+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/strange_greetings/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/strange_greetings/#When:19:00:52Z Please don’t punish my family for my grouchiness. Keep sending cute pictures of you and your family boogie-boarding in Bethany with a pithy holiday greeting, or your dog in a Ravens cap, to my wife and kids. They look forward to it. However, when I grab my daily yogurt in the morning and am faced with fridge… Opinion - Comment 2011-12-29T19:00:52+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/thats_unique/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/thats_unique/#When:19:00:34Z Politicians, like brands, need to be positioned properly before entering the competitive race. One of the key problems the Republican presidential field is having is none of them learned the important lesson of the 2008 election of Barack Obama and his strong brand positioning. Whatever your opinion of the man, “Change we can believe in” was a… Opinion - Comment 2011-12-22T19:00:34+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/tearful_joy/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/tearful_joy/#When:19:00:48Z This past Shabbat, my son became a bar mitzvah. I had even pushed the envelope of filing deadlines so that Monday morning, my emotions could pour onto the page. But here I am, staring at a blinking cursor. Do I tell you I cried during our walk-through when I had to practice reciting the parent’s prayer to him?… Opinion - Comment 2011-12-15T19:00:48+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/message_from_a_former_rambam_president/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/message_from_a_former_rambam_president/#When:16:47:58Z In late 1989, with busloads of children leaving Baltimore to the Hebrew Academy in Silver Spring, with young families leaving Baltimore or not coming to Baltimore, seeking the many schools in other cities that didn’t exist in Baltimore, a group of young families, many from out of town, embarked on a very passionate journey to fill the void.… Opinion - Comment 2011-06-17T16:47:58+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/granddaughter_remembers_cantor_hammerman/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/granddaughter_remembers_cantor_hammerman/#When:14:42:56Z The following was written by the granddaughter of Beth El Cantor Saul Z. Hammerman, whose one-year yahrzeit is tomorrow, Dec. 15. The congregants grew silent in anticipation of the artistic prayer they were about to witness. Although the setting was a sanctuary, the audience waited as if a brilliant concert was just commencing. The seats were filled with… Opinion - Comment 2009-12-14T14:42:56+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/from_the_blogs5/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/from_the_blogs5/#When:16:44:42Z Saudi Excuses I have this overwhelming urge to blurt out, “You lie!” But, after all, I believe in the saying, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” I want greater civility, so I won’t do it. Still, I’m incensed by the Sunday New York Times Op-Ed by Turki al-Faisal, a former Saudi Ambassador to… Opinion - Comment 2009-10-01T16:44:42+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/stop_settlements/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/stop_settlements/#When:19:00:00Z We have raised funds, walked in solidarity, visited whenever possible and prayed for the safety of the Jewish state since its inception. But surely, if we want what’s best for the Jewish state, we must tell the leadership of our spiritual home the truth. And the truth is, President Obama is right when he says that settlement building… Opinion - Comment 2009-07-30T19:00:00+00:00 http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/the_handyman/ http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/opinion/jt/comment/the_handyman/#When:03:00:58Z
]]>For some reason the gentiles appreciate the value of a good Jewish handyman a lot more than we do. Why, I don’t know. But that’s how it is. I knew Steve Rosen, who died on Yom Kippur. He was my brother’s best friend, and I knew him since I was nine. He left behind an extremely sweet wife… Opinion - Comment 2008-11-14T03:00:58+00:00