On Lent, Israel, loopholes, & the Pope

There may be some unexpected words in the headline of this Jewish Media Review. There are some compelling reads of Jews engaging with Christian holidays and figures. Scroll down to see.

I’ve been compiling the Jewish Media Review for more than a year now. It is meant to give you a glimpse at what our Jewish neighbors are discussing at different media sites. We must never look at Jewish people (or any people group) as a monolith.

I've tried to show that there are many perspectives on the Israel-Hamas War and rising antisemitism in the United States. The Jewish Media Review is also meant to bring out news items – especially of antisemitic incidents – that don’t always make it into mainstream media.  I hope that insight into various perspectives will give you points of conversation with your Jewish neighbors or colleagues as well as points for prayer as we all navigate our tumultuous world.

A lot of the discussion on Jewish media in the past two or three weeks has been squarely in the political space: commentary on how the new federal administration is handling different issues, such as antisemitism, US-Israel relations, immigration, free speech, and more. That is beyond the scope of this review. If you want to know, I encourage you add some Jewish news sites to your news sources: The Forward, Jewish Journal, Jewish News Syndicate, Jewish Telegraph Agency, the Times of Israel. Compare and contrast how they cover a particular news item.

These headlines are presented as a snapshot of what our Jewish neighbors are thinking and feeling and to provide data as you pray about these issues. CMJ USA does not necessarily agree with the opinions expressed in these articles.

✝️This Lent I will turn atheism to ashes (Giles Coren)

After growing up a godless Jew, and then appreciating that I don’t not believe, I now feel at home with Anglicanism

Excerpt: “I’ll still be a Jew, in the way that a black man would still be black. I’ll still use Yiddish words where English ones won’t do and say “his mother was Jewish, you know” whenever Harrison Ford comes on screen. But I’ll be a Christian one.”

🖼️It’s our Jewish responsibility to see the full picture when it comes to Israel. We’re failing (Forward)

The Jewish state is profoundly flawed, and extraordinary. Why can’t we perceive both those truths?

✡️What does it mean that Judaism is a religion of loopholes? (Forward)

For Elana Stein Hain, practices like the eruv and the selling of chametz can create a new sort of religious consciousness

📣Feldstein: The solution for long-term peace in Gaza is Jesus (All Israel)

Editor's note: Orthodox Jewish Israel Jonathan Feldstein restates that what the people of Gaza need is a transformed heart and Jesus can do that. The salt to this pronouncement is that he said in February 2024 that “This is not a task for the Jewish people. Our covenant is unique.” There are hints of dual covenant theology here, that Jews can access the Father through Moses alone and Jesus is for Gentiles.  Still, Feldstein sees that the Gospel of Jesus changes hearts and has the power to turn enemies into friends. Might Jesus say to Feldstein, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God” (Mark 12:34)"?

💌Fighting Antisemitism by Loving America (Jewish Journal)

Being lovers of this great nation as a people that continues to give back is a powerful truth-- one that can isolate Jew haters while also maximizing our supporters.

Excerpt: “It’s not what we say that counts, it’s what people take away.

"For all we know, when we teach people that Jew-hatred is so ancient and pervasive, some may wonder if being hated is what makes Jews special. Indeed, our intense efforts to expose Jew-hatred may have unwittingly rebranded and reduced the Jewish people to merely a target– worthy only of hate.

"This isn’t just grossly inaccurate, it ignores the crucial truth that most Americans are especially fond of Jews. According to the latest Pew research, more Americans hold favorable views of Jews than any other religious group. When did that truth ever make it into an activist campaign?”

Editor’s note: The author is right that antisemitism education may focus too much on the hate side instead of speaking of existing love for Jews or communicating that Jews are patriotic Americans that contribute richly to our society. However, the Jews of Germany were patriotic Germans who contributed richly to early 20^th century society. That didn’t stop antisemites like Hitler from devaluing Jewish contributions and demonizing all Jewish people. Deep seated antisemitism is not logical and has spiritual dimensions. In those cases, education is not enough. Spiritual transformation, the type Jonathan Feldstein mentions above, through Jesus Messiah is needed.

💖How the Pope and my rabbi father changed my life and healed my heart (Forward)

30 years ago, Rabbi A. James Rudin took his daughter Jen on a fateful trip to the Vatican

🤔A Jewish Moment Without Parallel (Commentary)

Thoughts by a New York City rabbi

Excerpt: “Perhaps the most striking feature of Netanyahu’s trip to Washington is that it featured a meeting with major evangelical leaders, but not with Jewish ones, reflecting the fact that it is millions of non-Jewish Americans who make up the heart of the America-Israel alliance. And this, in turn, reveals a fact about our moment that has no parallel in the biblical past: For the first time since the emergence of Abraham’s covenant nation, there are, numerically, more Gentiles who care about the well-being of the Jewish people than there are Jewish people on this earth. We live, one might say, in unprecedented times.”

“The Bible … predicts that radically new moments in the Jewish future are yet to come. We seem to be, in some respect, in such a time. Thus Jewish statesmen and leaders, in Israel and the Diaspora, will need, increasingly, to turn not to the tales of Greece and Rome, but to the Bible in order to search for instruction—to not only its description of past events, but also its vision for the Jewish future. This vision was presented thousands of years ago, but it seems increasingly relevant today. And this surely means that, especially in this trying period, we may hope for more surprises and wonders yet to come.”

🔭Cosmic wonder: Reclaiming science’s place in Jewish life (JNS)

Just as modern telescopes reveal the hidden structure of nebulae and star clusters, understanding the physics behind twilight reveals God’s meticulous design of the everyday world.

📝Most American Jews do not support anti-Zionism, new poll reveals (Jewish Chronicle)

According to the poll, 91% of respondents are concerned that social media amplifies the opinions of fringe movements, making them seem more widespread than they actually are.

🏫Since Oct. 7, this university has quietly opened its doors to Jewish students leaving uncomfortable campuses (JTA)

An under-the-radar program for mid-year transfers appeals to Jewish students looking for friendlier pastures.

❓Why are Jewish influencers suddenly talking about Meir Kahane? (Forward)

A controversial Instagram video has exposed a wedge among social media personalities who support Israel

🎶The Fathers Live (Matisyahu & Remedy)

“Jewish rappers Matisyahu and Remedy collaborated on a new song about combating antisemitism. Watch the music video” (via the Forward)