Israel is 72 years young.
The State of Israel marks the 72nd anniversary of its creation today, according to the Hebraic calendar. Blessed is the beloved historical homeland! In 1948, the United Nations was new, the thermal heat of the European Holocaust of the Jews still pressed, and the global Christian conscience was reeling from the truth about what happened in Europe between 1933—1945. For a flash, it was morally incumbent upon the nations of the...
A new and spiritual guide to the complexity of relocation
Kiran Prasad, an emerging philosopher and writer based in San Diego, has written an intuitive, informative volume aptly titled: A Mindful Move: Feel At Home Again. Here is a consoling, insightful, pastoral narrative of an oft-repeated ritual in modern life: relocation. Even as Prasad describes the gritty details and pressures of changing a house, she effectively declares that one’s inner life is affected and fraught. So she is...
Purim: When a Remarkable Woman Led God to the People
Purim, or “Lots,”—a woman’s heroic story based on historical facts—recurs March 9-10. The Scroll will be merrily read, recounting the rescue of the Persian Jews in 357 BCE from a government-led genocide. It should be noted that God is neither mentioned nor quoted anywhere in the text. God is silent but Esther definitely hears from heaven. There are the beloved Five Scrolls in the Hebrew Scripture, including Ecclesiastes, the Song...
It’s America: fear in a mother’s eyes
These ongoing events in Washington, DC, leave many fine people apprehensive and scared. Today I’m thinking about the coarsely dividing issue of legal immigrants dwelling in these tumultuous United States. As an immigrant child with two parents that chose and cherished America, this issue is folded forever into my flag. To wit: I recently visited with a charming family in my community. They happen to hail from Mexico and have...
On his holiday, give Martin Luther King Jr. his real life story.
There is a growing and voluble trend among scholars and journalists that we quite some time ago let go of the real King in favor of a caricatured legend–or, as Charles Blow of The New York Times just termed it: the “Dream King.” This is a good day to reflect on the real story. Martin Luther King Jr. would have turned 91 years old last week, January 15. As a pastor’s son growing up in the “Sweet Auburn” section of...