Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Welcome to our WhoStoleMyReligion Blog

Welcome to our WhoStoleMyReligion Blog.  This is my first time blogging so I hope to learn how to be more effective as I use this valuable tool more and more.   I hope it will be a valuable mechanism to help shift our imperiled planet to a sustainable path.

First I want to give a kol hakavod/kudos shout out and a very appreciative thank you to Rabbi Yonassan Gershom for setting up this blog and for his great help with my soon-to-be-published book, Who Stole My Religion? Revitalizing Judaism and Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal Our Imperiled Planet.

The book makes the following arguments:

1.The world is rapidly approaching climate, food, energy, and water catastrophes. It is vital that steps to avert these potential catastrophes be taken as soon as possible.
 
2. The application of Jewish teachings can play a major role in responding to current crises.

3. Many Orthodox Jews are supporting a Republican Party that has shifted far to the right recently, greatly influenced by the Tea Party.
4. Republicans are in denial about climate change and are supporting continued tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans and major, highly profitable corporations, even though this means cuts in programs that many Jews and other middle class and poor Americans depend on.
 
5. While it will be difficult to obtain, Israel needs a comprehensive, sustainable, just resolution of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict in order to avoid renewed conflict, to effectively respond to her economic, environmental, and other domestic problems, and to remain both a Jewish and a democratic state.
The book also considers such issues as how the Holocaust can be a spur to activism, how antisemitism can be reduced, how Judaism can be revitalized, how prayers can spark activism, how Jews should respond to Islamophobia, why Jews should be environmentalists, vegetarians, and animal rights activists, and how we can make the U.S. economic system and our foreign policy more consistent with Jewish values.

At a time when the U.S., the world, and the Jewish people face many threats, I believe that Who Stole My Religion? can initiate respectful dialogues that can help revitalize Judaism and help shift our imperiled world to a sustainable path.

Your help in increasing awareness of the book would be much appreciated.

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