Rosh Hashanah and Hope for the Future
As Jews around the world celebrate Rosh Hashanah in the midst of global strife, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal and co-founder and executive editor of TheWisdomDaily.com reminds us that Rosh Hashanah is a “profound chance to look forward and dare to hope when others say hope makes no sense.”
Read moreISIS – Political Correctness and Honesty
As the world comes to grip with the threat of terrorism from ISIS, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal and co-founder and executive editor of TheWisdomDaily.com, believes this is “a moment when all people must make an honest choice about who they to be in the world, including in a war which very much has religious overtones but isn’t...
Read moreGenocide, Religious Warfare or A Third Option
Christians are increasingly at threat of ethnic cleansing throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, President of Clal and co-founder and executive editor of TheWisdomDaily.com, asks “How do we talk about that real possibility without turning this war into a religious war?”
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Ratchet Down the Ferguson Story
Unrest continues to simmer in Ferguson, Missouri since the August 9th shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown. According to Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal and co-founder and executive editor of TheWisdomDaily.com, “We privilege rage over sadness to all of our peril. And we confuse imposing order with building peace between members of different communities.”
Read moreRobin Williams, Suicide and Shame
The death by suicide of Robin Williams earlier this week shocked his fans around the world. It also focused attention on suicide and the discomfort we all feel about the disease that leads to it. “We’re not ashamed of having cancer, we’re not ashamed of having ALS or any other devastating disease. But there’s a lot of shame associated with emotional illness” says...
Read moreIn God We Trust?
This week, the Pierce County Council in Washington voted to display the national motto “In God We Trust” in its chambers. The controversial decision came after heated debate and strenuous objections from local atheists. Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal and co-founder and executive editor of TheWisdomDaily.com says that “even if the vast of majority of us believe in God...
Read moreThe Role of Religion in the Ukrainian – Russian Conflict
Rabbi Brad Hirschfield looks at the long history of conflict between Russia & Ukraine and the role of religion & religious leaders can play in choosing to either fan the flames or inspire positive change to build a better future.
Read moreIronic Victory in Greece, NY
“This week, fanatical religion and absolutist atheism lost and the rest of us won” says Brad Hirschfield, President of Clal and co-Founder and Executive Editor of TheWisdomDaily.com. Their town meeting opened with an invocation by local atheist Dan Courtney. The U.S. Supreme Court’s recently ruled in the case of Galloway v. Greece, NY that prayer was acceptable in public...
Read moreFinding Hope for Israel and Gaza
In light of the recent escalation of violence in Israel and the Gaza strip, Rabbi Brad Hirschfield reminds us that whichever side of the argument you stand on, arguing about the facts won’t get us any closer to peace but demonstrating compassion for those lost on both sides, may help us get closer to it. He urges us to...
Read moreMurdered Israeli Students: Life Wins Out Over Death
This week the bodies of 3 Israeli teenagers who had been missing for several weeks were found in a field not far from where they were last seen. The murder of Eyal Yifrach, Naftali Graenkel and Gilad Shaer has ignited passions across the world and from different political camps. But this is not the time for “politics and posturing”...
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