A Conservative rabbi at a merged shul faces challenges stemming from the movement’s prohibition against performing intermarriages or recognizing the children of non-Jewish mothers.
When shuls of two denominations join forces, they face real questions of ritual and Jewish law along with the power dynamics and logistical difficulties attendant upon any organizational consolidation.
Chanukah has traditionally emphasized the military victory over the Greeks and the vial of oil that lasted for eight nights. Now the holiday is increasingly being used as a vehicle for other agendas that seem to stray far from the holiday’s original meani
