AnglicanTV: Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks

I have heard wonderful things about this presentation by Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. What a delight to see that Kevin captured it for us all.

From AnglicanTV

Judaism’s sexual revolution: Why Judaism rejected homosexuality

From Stand Firm, an excellent post by Sarah Hey that she got from the Catholic Education Resource Center. You have to read it all yourself, so I'm not even posting excerpts here. So check it out!

Israel at 60

From Cranmer, interesting information provided by the Anglican Friends of Israel:

While some sections of the British media maintain their pathological and not-so-latent anti-Semitism, or are of the considered opinion that Israel ‘stinks of shit’, this is a time for celebration, for the State of Israel was founded 60 years ago in May 1948. The declaration precipitated an immediate war, and Israel has been surrounded and beseiged ever since by enemies pledged to her annihilation.

It was the realisation of 5000 years of yearning for the Jewish people, but that was not the end of the story. Israel's first 60 years have been filled with hope, achievement, miracles, trauma, tragedy and joy. And today one must counter the incessant adverse publicity and negative portrayal in the media.

Anglican Friends of Israel have produced an excellent commemorative booklet, which Cranmer is delighted to share with his readers and communicants. . .

Read it all.

Christians and Jews in new summit

From an article by George Conger for Religious Intelligence:

THE COMMISSION of Anglican and Jewish leaders, organised as a joint project of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, held its first meeting last month in Jerusalem.

Led by the Bishop of Clogher, the Rt Rev Michael Jackson and Chief Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen of Haifa, the Commission met in Jerusalem from July 1-2 to define the parameters of dialogue between Anglicans and Jews, and to help ease tensions inflamed by decisions taken by the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) and General Synod in recent years. . .

While rejecting a strongly worded condemnation of Israel from the Anglican Peace and Justice Network after the intervention of Archbishop Rowan Williams and the Dean of St Paul’s, Dr John Moses, the ACC endorsed ethical investment strategies that “support the infrastructure of a future Palestinian state."

Relations were further strained by General Synod’s 2006 decision to call for divestment from companies whose products were used by the Israel government in the Territories -- a decision that prompted Lord Carey to say he was “ashamed to be an Anglican.”. . .

Read it all.