Jay Grenby 14 October 2010 The Jewish Chronicle A little matter like the 5,000 miles temporarily separating Rabbi Pete Tobias from his religion school pupils at The Liberal Synagogue Elstree wasn’t going to stop him taking the weekly service. Despite his absence from Hertfordshire on a visit to his son … Read More
Don’t let dogma divide us
Lucian J Hudson 13 October 2010 The Guardian The faultline is deepening between those who see themselves as having a faith and those who do not. And it is deepening in part because of a mistaken perception one side has of the other: that only one world view can prevail. … Read More
Writer pens Etrog mystery for Succot
Jay Grenby 21 September 2010 The Jewish Chronicle Prolific author and broadcaster Rabbi Pete Tobias has made a first foray into the realm of children’s books with the publication of The Secret of the £5 Etrog, in time for Succot. The paperback, illustrated by cartoonist Paul Solomons, is aimed at … Read More
Waiting nervously for waves from Gaza
Rabbi Pete Tobias 2 June 2010 The Guardian The Israeli assault on the Gaza flotilla will make waves that extend far beyond the Mediterranean coastline where the bloody events took place. And those waves will reach me, my community and then all of us. The first wave will touch me … Read More
Liberal chief hits out at religious ‘anti-democracy’
6 May 2010 The Jewish Chronicle Liberal Judaism chief executive Rabbi Danny Rich condemned religious coercion and sectarianism in his address to the movement’s biggest biennial conference, held in Gloucestershire. Addressing an audience of over 300, he said that some religious followers have “declared in both word – and frequently … Read More
Death need not disorient us
Lucian J Hudson 6 March 2010 Around 70% of people say they want to die at home, yet around 60% currently die in hospital. Why is there such a discrepancy between hope and reality? The speed of life in the 21st century creates a momentum that makes us oblivious to … Read More
Shabbat – the Heart of Jewish Life
Rabbi Janet Burden 14 December 2006 The New Statesman The rabbi explains the sabbath – a day of rest and worship Ethical monotheism is indisputably the foundation of Judaism, its intellectual core. No matter how pure and grand that concept is, however, I do not believe that it alone would … Read More
Jewish Beliefs and Practice
Rabbi Janet Burden 13 December 2006 The New Statesman What Jews believe and how the rules of Judaism get applied in practice. Having been invited to write these pieces as a religious Jew, you may be wondering why I have said so little about Jewish beliefs in my … Read More
Reflections on Jewish Identity
Rabbi Janet Burden 12 December 2006 The New Statesman How Jews are not simply a race or a religion – they are an extended family with all that implies. The word used for people who change their religions is ‘convert.’ I prefer the term ‘Jew-by-choice’ to describe my own identity. … Read More