About Laurel Snyder
Why We Don’t Give
We—the children of the boomers, the privileged progressives—have a giving problem, which is that we don’t do it. Instead, we cloak ourselves in the trappings of charity. We carve out lives that appear to be socially just, full of free … Read More
Why I’m Jealous of Shalom Auslander’s Horrible God
When I was a kid, I was taught that it’s okay to be angry, so long as you can find good ways to get the anger out. Painting—I was instructed—was good for getting the anger out (hence we make abstract … Read More
No Tears for Jerry
So as we all know, Jerry Falwell (founder of the so-called Moral Majority)Â Â is dead, and this JTA article discusses the mixed feeling Jews had about the man. Statements from Jewish leaders about his death were duly respectful of a man … Read More
Jewish Politics Beyond Israel
A few weeks ago, I took my son to play at the park, with my new friend Naomi and her daughter (who is almost exactly my son's age). At the time I had a vague sense that she worked in some capacity for … Read More
If You Haven’t Read Jabes
Before I go, I want to point you to a Jewish poet I love, Edmond Jabes. To begin with, you should crack open a copy of his Book of Questions… Although I've never studied Jabes in any formal way, and … Read More
Goodbye, Goodbye, Goodbye…
So, this week when I rest for Shabbat, I'll be resting for good. At least as far as Faithhacker is concerned. I'll be leaving after I post tomorrow, and not coming back as a blogger… I could blame this decision … Read More
Jews and Polygamy?
While we're feeling superior to the Mormons, and discussing sex, let's touch on Polygamy in Jewish history and law! Most of us know that Jews today don't engage in Polygamy, and most of us also know that Jews used to … Read More
How Many Kids Did Adam and Eve Have?
Funny how once you start thinking about all the things you DON'T know, you remember even more things you don't know. For me (with my spotty biblical education), religion is an area of particularly sketchy knowledge. So after looking up … Read More
The Curse of Ham
I don't know about you, but I'm a big big fan of the "This Week in God" segments on the Daily Show. They aren't nearly as good as they used to be (because Samantha Bee just isn't funny, and Steve … Read More
Who’s in Bed with the OU?
Yesterday, Jewschool's Mobius drafted an Open Letter to the OU on their New Pro-Abstinence Campaign: If you don’t want Jewish kids to shtup before they’re married, don’t lie and tell them that the reason they shouldn’t is because condoms are … Read More