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Friday, March 29, 2024

Neal Schindler

A native of Detroit, Neal Schindler has lived in the Pacific Northwest since 2002. He has held staff positions at Seattle Weekly and The Seattle Times and was a freelance writer for Jew-ish.com from 2007 to 2011. Schindler was raised in a Reconstructionist Jewish congregation and is now a member of Spokane's Reform congregation, Emanu-El. He is the director of Spokane Area Jewish Family Services. His interests include movies, Scrabble, and indie rock. He lives with his wife, son, and two cats in West Central Spokane.

Ask A Jew: Tithing

In my experience, synagogues can follow one of several models to garner the financial support they need.

Ask A Jew: Is America more, less, or equally anti-Semitic now?

The Guardian reported earlier this year that 2017 saw, according to the Anti-Defamation League, “the largest year-on-year increase since the Jewish civil rights group began collecting data in 1979” -- a staggering 57 percent surge!

Reflections on the family separation crisis, as a parent and a Jew

Now Trump has signed an executive order intended to stop the separations. Unfortunately but predictably, it doesn’t eliminate the “zero tolerance” policy, which mandates that both asylum-seekers and people crossing the border illegally face criminal charges rather than civil ones.

Ask a Jew: What is the term used for a Jew who circumcises newborns?

You’re referring to a mohel, who circumcises newborn Jewish boys (if their caregivers want that).

Ask a Jew: Are Jews saved because they are God’s chosen people?

Based on probably thousands of blog posts by pastors, and plenty of talk-show segments on evangelical media outlets like Moody Radio and the American Christian Network, I think we can safely say that from a conservative evangelical worldview, Jews who do not “trust in” Jesus (i.e., accept him as their personal savior and believe in him as the son of God) will not make it to heaven.

Ask A Jew: What helps you on your spiritual journey?

Here are six things that seem to help me on my spiritual journey

Judaism’s prohibition against hunting for sport

The commenter stated that hunting for sport is not allowed in Judaism because it violates the commandment of tza'ar ba'alei chayim, the prohibition against unnecessary cruelty to animals, about which I’ve written before. It turns out that the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, whose interpretation of Judaism isn’t generally progressive, does come down on what I’d consider the enlightened side of the animal rights issue.

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