How can my synagogue organize a large and developing library of liturgical recordings? I'm interested in (inexpensive or free) specialized software or in suggestions on how to use more commonplace software for this purpose. [more inside]
posted on Aug 11, 2008 - 7 answers

Converting to Judaism, but secular / atheist? [more inside]
posted on Jul 25, 2008 - 52 answers

What's your best haroset recipe? Happy Pesach!
posted on Apr 17, 2008 - 12 answers

My wife (raised Catholic) and I (raised Jewish) were watching The Exorcist the other day, and she turned to me and asked me if there was any movie where Jews were depicted as secretive, mysterious, and spooky. The best I could do was Lenny Meyer and his fellow Hasids in Pi. [more inside]
posted on Jan 16, 2008 - 27 answers

Has there been higher criticism (such as the documentary hypothesis) or textual criticism of religions other than Christianity and Judaism?
posted on Jan 10, 2008 - 10 answers

Looking for wisdom from Judaism. A while back, someone posted a link to a great essay. It was chock full of Jewish wisdom. I can't remember the context, but I want to say it had to do with success and achievement. As opposed to saying that ego-gratification and success were a bad thing, the essay instead pointed out that there was virtue in doing things for yourself and virtue in aquiring the trappings of success. Anyone want to conjure up a link for me? How about any other essays and articles filled with good Judaic wisdom?
posted on Oct 1, 2007 - 7 answers

Recent talk on MeFi of religions has me curious: Given that Judaism is said to pass down the matriarchal line, and converts to the faith are said to have always had a Jewish soul, what does that mean for the children of a mother who converts to Judaism? Would it be different if she converted before they were born vs. after? What about pre- or post-conception?
posted on Sep 4, 2007 - 18 answers

I found WW2 "yellow stars," Jewish identity papers and other tragic items at a Hungarian flea market. What to do? [more inside]
posted on May 19, 2007 - 17 answers

Do you know any site where Jewish history and the Torah are actively debated? Something like a forum? [more inside]
posted on Mar 26, 2007 - 3 answers

Is there are good recording of the beautiful Carlebach melodies for Kabbalat Shabbat? [more inside]
posted on Mar 6, 2007 - 2 answers

Calling all Jews! I need a reading list for my girlfriend. [more inside]
posted on Jan 10, 2007 - 13 answers

What do Jews think of converts? [more inside]
posted on Sep 23, 2006 - 45 answers

First Rosh Hashanah. Tips? [more inside]
posted on Sep 18, 2006 - 25 answers

Where can I find a line-by-line interpretation/explanation of the biblical Song of Solomon online?
posted on Sep 14, 2006 - 3 answers

Brigitte Gabriel showed up in my inbox today. My links to the evangelical subculture have provided me with many icky moments but none more so than this. An acquaintance forwarded me (and 20 others) a cut and pasted article about a speech she made at Duke University almost two years ago outlining Muslim atrocities in Lebanon during the 70s and I'm curious about the woman. Obviously someone like this is a great spokesperson for those who think Islam is bent on world domination and the destruction of all infidels. And apparently she gets quite a few speaking engagements at universities as an "expert" on the Middle East. But who is she?

After a little googling, I see the same "speech" cut and pasted into dozens of conservative blogs. And her page on Wikipedia dates from just two weeks ago, with a bit of a revert war starting already. What's going on here?
posted on Aug 2, 2006 - 11 answers

Is there some reason that christians support Israel? I was browsing the Rapture Ready message boards, and while I realize they are a bit of a fringe, they seem to be fanatically pro-israel (see this signature), and that sentiment seems to be echoed amongst many other christians I know. I would have figured christians to be mildy anti-israel, as it's inhabitants sort of shunned their prophet/savior. What gives?
posted on Jul 20, 2006 - 40 answers

Ok, I'm self-admittedly jumping the shark here. I'd like to get a tattoo. I'd like it to mean 'will'. Like the type of will it takes to pedal one's ass up to the top of a mountain on a 100-degree day. Or the will it takes to climb canyons in 35-degree weather. You know the drill. [more inside]
posted on Jun 27, 2006 - 58 answers

What Jewish tradition involves a rabbi killing a chicken? [more inside]
posted on Jun 20, 2006 - 7 answers

Where do I look for information on Jewish violence? Does Judaism have much violence in its history? I'm specifically looking for information on pre-Zionist Jewish militance, if such existed. Were there any major battles or wars involving Jews before the twentieth century?
posted on May 12, 2006 - 14 answers

I was raised Christian (Southern Baptist, was baptized). However I feel pulled towards Judaism. There is Jewish ancestry on my mom's side but for whatever reason, someone had to have converted. In a way I want to 'take it back'. How does one begin a conversion process to Judaism? There is a Reform synagogue here but I feel so foreign there since I know so little of Jewish traditions.
posted on Apr 22, 2006 - 38 answers

Michael Wex, in his Born to Kvetch, mentions a book called Toldot Yeshua (or possibly Toldos Yeshua), a medieval Yiddish manuscript that proposes that Jesus was a parlor trick artist, Mary an unclean woman and that Peter was a devout Jew that diverted Christianity out of Judaism (or something along those lines). Now, I'd quite like to learn more, ideally reading the book myself. Do any of you have any more info on it? Does there exist an English translation?
posted on Mar 31, 2006 - 8 answers

In accordance with reform, orthodox, or conservative Judaism, what am I? [more inside]
posted on Jan 10, 2006 - 25 answers

I was brought up in a non-religious family with a vague Protestant background. I'm currently considering converting to Judaism (not because of a relationship with someone who's Jewish, simply for my own reasons.) I know next to nothing about the organised aspects of the religion - I've never even set foot in a synagogue - but I'm interested in learning more. I'm not really ready to approach a rabbi yet to discuss things, I think I need to explore the whole religion a bit more before I consider starting on any possible path that might later lead to conversion. Where should I start?
posted on Dec 19, 2005 - 37 answers

JewishHistoryFilter : Can anybody recommend a good book that dissects the common Jewish conspiracy theories and discusses their history? Extra points for readability. [more inside]
posted on Jul 16, 2005 - 21 answers

Does the deification of a religious authority (such as the pope or in Hasidism, the rebbe) take away from the message of the religion itself? [more inside]
posted on Apr 4, 2005 - 18 answers

Ok, so we all saw the hilarity that ensued the last time someone posted a contemporary religion vs homosexuality thread on the blue. My question is strictly academic. Does christianity truly object or is that a more modern concern based on mistranslation?

Points of discussion say one thing and then the other . I, for one, do not have the linguistic background to isolate the wheat from the chaff, and so I ask metafilter. Queer - damnable sin, or something to cleanse yourself of before you go to temple if you're jewish.
posted on Nov 29, 2004 - 20 answers

What's a good traditional gift to give a Jewish father upon the birth of his second child?
posted on Nov 8, 2004 - 11 answers

Religionfilter: what percentage of Jews in the US observe the Sabbath every week? (or how many out of the total). Thanks!
posted on Jun 14, 2004 - 8 answers

So, it's Pesach, and time for me and other jews to engage in a culinary tango dictated by what can often seem like an ever shifting sheaf of talmudic law. I've recently started playing around with almond flour - specifically a wonderful lemon pound cake (I use sugar - I'm a natural man!), and was pondering making it this week. But then it occurred to me - is using almond flour in this way - or almond flour at all - kosher for Pesach? And does anyone know of a good one-stop list of the rules and, to my mind more importantly, the reasons behind each?
posted on Apr 5, 2004 - 13 answers

Odd question: In high school, I went to the house of a Jewish friend. The kitchen was completely decked out with pig paraphernalia, which kind of surprised me, given kosher living and whatnot. In the grumble grumble years since then, I've met a couple of other folks that have seen similar motifs in Jewish kitchens. Is there a reason behind this, or is it just random decorating?
posted on Feb 2, 2004 - 8 answers

Can anyone enlighten me as to Hannukah rituals? I've googled about, but only find the technicalities of ceremony. I need to know the things that people take for granted - whether presents get wrapped, if they get increasingly expensive across the days, what sort of things are usual to give and do. Everything.
posted on Dec 19, 2003 - 14 answers