Forward.com

Welcoming the Sabbath, Pistols And Machine Guns at the ReadyThey are a minyan, just barely. Half of them come to pray with guns.The rabbi, Mitchell Schranz, would rather his congregants leave their Berettas and their M-4 rifles at home than bring them to this nondescript alcove, not far from a former palace of Saddam Hussein. But this is Camp Victory, the American military’s main headquarters in Iraq —…Read more

Israeli Sites Sate Thirst For Middle East NewsNothing happens in Israel but suicide bombings and bulldozers leveling homes in retaliation. At least that’s the impression the mainstream American press often gives.Although American interest in Israel continues to be high, domestic media coverage has been monotonic, focusing only on the bloodiest details of the latest, stomach-churning…Read more

Alternative-Ritual Site Nabs Webby Award NominationIn the Talmud, there’s no ritual for going on welfare. For having sex for the first time. For recovering from a mastectomy. Or for going to a gay pride march.But today, some people wish to infuse these events with religious and cultural significance. By the thousands, they’ve been turning to the Web site, Ritualwell (www.ritualwell.org), for…Read more