Jeffrey Salkin, Religion News Service Journalist Profile

Articles

'The White Lotus' was more religious than you think

1 week ago | religionnews.com | Jeffrey Salkin

(RNS) — For me, and for many others, watching the third season of the acclaimed HBO/Max series “The White Lotus” was a religious experience. What drew me to the series — enough for it to have become my ritual obsession? More than the exotic locations, it was the characters — wealthy, pampered, but none of them truly understanding how their financial comfort barely conceals their emotional and psychological discomfort. There was the ubiquitous trademark plot device.
The Passover attack on Gov. Josh Shapiro was an attack on all Jews

1 week ago | religionnews.com | Jeffrey Salkin

(RNS) — This is the question that begins the Passover seder: “Why is this night different from all other nights?”Oh, it was different alright. The matzah crumbs were still on the dining room table, and the wine-stained Haggadot were stacked in the corner when an arsonist attacked the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, endangering the lives of Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family. Luckily, no one was injured, though there was extensive damage to the building.
Who are you calling a wicked child?

1 week ago | religionnews.com | Jeffrey Salkin

(RNS) — Tomorrow evening, Jews all over the world will sit around their tables for the Passover seder. They will hardly be alone. Not only will the generations accompany them, so will four distinct children in the Haggadah: the wise one, the wicked one, the simple one and the one who does not even know enough to ask. Just guess which one is my favorite. You got it: the wicked one (rasha). They are the one that I would want to hang out with.
Like the Haggadah rabbit, Jews are stuck in the net this Passover

2 weeks ago | religionnews.com | Jeffrey Salkin

(RNS) — How do you start a Seder for this year’s Passover? I am glad you asked. This is the order of the blessings:Yayin: The blessing over the wine. Kiddush: The sanctification of the festival. Neirot: The candle lighting for the festivalHavdalah: The blessing for Havdalah, which makes a distinction between the holiness of Shabbat and the holiness of PassoverZman: The blessing for this particular time of the year — popularly known as the Shehecyanu.
When the f-bomb is just what you need

2 weeks ago | religionnews.com | Jeffrey Salkin

(RNS) — Here is one of my favorite jokes:A well-dressed man is leaving a Broadway theater when an ill-clad, visibly poor man approaches him and asks him for some spare change. To which the well-dressed man says: “‘Neither a borrower nor a lender be.’ Shakespeare said that.”To which the ill-clad man responds: “‘Go f— yourself.’ David Mamet said that.”Welcome to the ubiquitous f-bomb.
A profile in Jewish courage

3 weeks ago | religionnews.com | Jeffrey Salkin

(RNS) — I did not think it was possible for me to admire Jeffrey Goldberg any more than I already did. Jeffrey Goldberg is the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, a magazine that has included me as a reader and subscriber for many years. He started his career in journalism as the editor-in-chief of the Daily Pennsylvanian at the University of Pennsylvania (where he also worked in the kitchen at Hillel).
The Gazans are protesting Hamas. It's about time.

3 weeks ago | religionnews.com | Jeffrey Salkin

(RNS) — As the Doobie Brothers put it decades ago, the people of Gaza are “Takin’ It to the Streets.”The New York Times reported on Wednesday (March 26):Palestinians protested in Gaza on Tuesday in a rare show of dissent against Hamas, with some chanting slogans critical of the armed group’s grip on the territory after more than a year of devastating war with Israel.
The cafeteria approach to religion isn't only for Catholics

1 month ago | religionnews.com | Jeffrey Salkin

(RNS) — I was talking with a Roman Catholic-raised friend who no longer practices the religion of his youth. At a certain point in the conversation, he snorted about “cafeteria Catholics,” which sardonically describes those who adhere to parts of Catholic teachings or practice certain rituals, but dissent from others.
In the battle to keep ICE from raiding houses of worship, the grassroots needs to flex more muscle

1 month ago | religionnews.com | Jeffrey Salkin |Andre Henry

(RNS) — In two separate lawsuits, religious organizations are pushing back against the Trump administration’s attempt to open the way for immigration raids at “sensitive locations,” such as houses of worship.
60 years later, 'The Sound of Music' message about fleeing Nazis is just as powerful

1 month ago | religionnews.com | Jeffrey Salkin

(RNS) — When I was young, movie theaters were ornate palaces of popular culture that our family did not often visit. But, for “The Sound of Music,” we did. If I recall correctly, I even had to get a little dressed up for it. The movie, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, debuted 60 years ago this month. As one of the most beloved movies of all time, it won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.