Feb 4th, 2010
by rabbifink.
This post has been crossposted to DovBear. More discussion there.
Since the Earthquake in Haiti many have attempted to figure out “why” the tragedy occurred.
There are 4 prominent versions going around the web right now.
Rabbi Shafran Version 1: God punished the people of Haiti because of evil speech.
Rabbi Shafran Version 2: We don’t know why God punished the people of Haiti but the lesson is that we should learn is not to speak evil speech.
Rabbi Levin: The earthquake and Tsunami and 9/11 happened because of Gays in the military.
Rabbi Feldman: We can’t know why the earthquake happened, but it happened for “a reason”.
What has been missing from this is a more rational approach (more…)
Jan 20th, 2010
by rabbifink.
Last year, there were a large number of public incidents that shed a negative light on Jews in general and particularly on Orthodox Jews. These events were not representitive of the average Jewish person, yet their notoriety put them front and center in the media.
It seems that the Earthquake in Haiti has marked a reversal of negative media coverage into more positive media coverage in response to more positive actions by Jewish people.
I noted last week that although the Jewish connection with Haiti is slim, there has been no shortage of Jewish efforts to aid the beleaguered people of Haiti.
It did not end with financial support. (more…)
Jan 14th, 2010
by rabbifink.
In the wake of the tragedy in Haiti I write this post.
This post comes on the heels of my last post which quoted David Brooks and his admiration for the accopmlishments of the Jews. And now, we have an oppurtunity to show our stripes.
Haiti is not a very Jewish place. It is not frequented by business travelers or vacationers very often. Haiti never had a strong Jewish community. But in time of tragedy the Jewish community has a knack for stepping up to the plate and helping in the ways that we can. (more…)
This post has been crossposted to DovBear. More discussion there.
