Free Speech vs. Protection Against Intolerance
It’s been 50 Years since the Free Speech Movement was born at the University of California Berkley when students protested a ban on on-campus political activity. Free speech is again being contested at UC Berkley, where a proposed new policy against intolerance was criticized for not doing enough to protect the students and didn’t address the increase of anti-Semitic...
Read moreWhere Do You Stand on Religious Freedom?
This week, two stories about religion in the workplace made news. First, Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk jailed for her refusal to issue same-sex marriage licenses citing her religious beliefs, was released from jail amid cameras and supporters like Mike Huckabee. And Charee Stanley, a flight attendant with Express Jet, was suspended from her job for one year for...
Read moreKim Davis and the Birth of Religious Freedom
Kim Davis, the Rowan County clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, was jailed for contempt of court. “I hope we can find solutions, practical responses,” says Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal and co-founder and executive editor of TheWisdomDaily.com “that allow people to be as fully served by their local, state and federal government as...
Read moreThe Virginia Shooting and Dangerous Injustice Collectors
This week, Vester Lee Flanagan shot and killed two members of local news team WDBJ in Roanoke, VA, Alison Parker and Adam Ward. Flanagan may be a “dangerous injustice collector,” according to some law enforcement officials. Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal and co-founder and executive editor of TheWisdomDaily.com, talks about the need to be aware of injustice without...
Read moreAmazon, Radical Innovation and the Value of the Sabbath
Amazon has become an essential part of life to many Americans. And when a recent New York Times article shone a light on the corporate culture of the company, the outcry was immediate and loud. It’s important that we consumers acknowledge our role in the Amazon phenomenon, says Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal and co-founder and executive editor...
Read moreCharleston Shooting: This Story is Far From Over
This past Wednesday, nine members of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC, were shot and killed in a hate crime. “What I want to do today is share their names and invite us all to sit with the one indisputable fact here” reflects Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal and co-founder and executive editor of TheWisdomDaily.com,...
Read moreEvil Done in the Name of God
This week, reports of the systematic use of rape, slavery and sex trafficking by the Islamic State emerged, and that the practice is called for in the Qu’ran, that it is a kind of worship. There are those who have always used religion to justify unacceptable behavior, says Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal and co–founder and executive editor...
Read moreRabbi Brad Hirschfield on the Voting Rights Act at 50
This week marks the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Voting Rights Act, a landmark piece of civil rights legislation that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. The 2014 election saw the lowest voter turnout since World War II. According to Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal and co-founder and executive editor of TheWisdomDaily.com, we should focus now on...
Read moreCecil, The Dentist and Morality
The worldwide reaction to the shooting of a beloved lion, Cecil, in Zimbabwe by an American dentist has been all over news channels, late night talk shows and the social media sphere. Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal and co-founder and executive editor of TheWisdom Daily, calls for some perspective on the story.”What’s going on when people are obsessed...
Read moreLafayette Shooting: Let Our Hearts Break Open
On July 24, a shooter opened fire at a movie theater in Lafayette, LA, killing three people and injuring nine. Amid the grief, the gun debate is engaged anew. But instead of retreating to entrenched positions, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal and co-founder and executive editor of TheWisdomDaily.com suggests that we “let our hearts break open and admit...
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