A Jewish studies scholar discusses the societal changes that women are leading in ultra-Orthodox communities.
A condolence message and candles for the victims of a stampede during a Jewish ultra-Orthodox mass pilgrimage to Mount Meron, projected on a wall of Jerusalem’s Old City.
Ilia Yefimovich/picture alliance via Getty Images
The Lag BaOmer pilgrimage, in which 45 people died recently, takes place each year to what is believed to be the gravesite of the second-century Talmudic sage Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
FBI announcements in Yiddish encourage Hasidic or “ultra-Orthodox” Jews to report incidents of anti-Semitism.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Many Australians believe in the existence of the soul. Here is a brief guide to how the five major world religions imagine the soul’s origin and journey.
The Jewish Museum’s Purim Ball at the Park Avenue Armory in 2015 in New York City.
Andrew Toth/Getty Images
In the 19th century, Purim became an occasion to hold fancy dress parties, the proceeds from which were given to charities. These parties helped American Jews gain a standing among the elite.
The Hasidic community comprises several communities that take their names from the cities of Eastern and Central Europe where they originated. In Montréal, the Belz and the Satmar are the best known.
(Philippe Montbazet)
For much of American history, the only December holiday to be recognized in the White House was Christmas, but menorah lightings are now an annual tradition.
Photographs of Jewish families at the Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington DC.
GiuseppeCrimeni/Shutterstock
Many young people learn about the Holocaust in school, but their knowledge and understanding of the subject can be limited and based on inaccuracies and misconceptions.
A fragment of scroll from the John Rylands Library, University of Manchester, under microspectral imagery.
The University of Manchester
What do you do when you find something amazing you didn’t expect, and there is no budget in your grant to investigate it?
Preparation for the Seder: A 14th century miniature showing the master of the house distributing the matzot (unleavened bread) and sweetmeat during passover. From Haggadah for Passover (the ‘Sister Haggadah’).
(British Library)
People have always searched for meaning in their misfortunes. It can be comforting to believe that things happen for a reason and something can be learned in chaotic situations.
A crucifix, believed to be miraculous, that in 1552 was carried in a procession around Rome to stop the great plague, left, frames Pope Francis, wearing white, as he delivers a prayer from an empty St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican, on March 27, 2020.
(Yara Nardi/Vatican News via AP)
Faith communities are changing many traditional practices to deal with coronavirus restrictions. A historian of the Bible argues how innovation has long been part of religious practice.
Some researchers believe atheists are disliked because people link their lack of belief to an overall lack of values.
Gary Stevens/Flickr
Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are quintessentially Jewish holidays, but an ethicist argues that their values around becoming a better human being, transcend any one religion.
Jewish visitors light candles at the ancient Ghriba synagogue in May 2019.
Mohamed Messara/EPA
The annual Jewish pilgrimage of the Ghriba to the island of Djerba used to attract tens of thousands of people. After numbers dwindled in recent years, the 2019 event saw a big increase in visitors.
Veganism is not a religion, and nor is belief in Santa Claus. So why are Christianity, Islam and Buddhism classed as religions?
Particularly for young Canadian Jews, a holiday meal achieves conviviality in the family and solidarity with the Jewish community, but its religious significance is less important than in the past.
Makom/Facebook
An evolutionary biologist makes the case that there’s no reconciling science and religion. In the search for truth, one tests hypotheses while the other relies on faith.