COVER STORY: Rosh Hashanah’s and Yom Kippur’s timeless question: ‘Who shall live and who shall die?’

The whole world is asking these questions

When you’re healthy, you may not think twice about a question like: “Who shall live and who shall die?” For Jews, this is a central question of the High Holy Days: a small yet powerful handful of words among the hundreds of traditional words Jewish men and women pray, chant and contemplate between Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

This year, millions of non-Jews also are pondering those sacred words, with the total of global cases of COVID-19 approaching 30 million and deaths nearing 900,000. Who else hears those solemn questions each year with high anxiety and often with broken hearts? Anyone who struggles with cancer in their own life or in the lives of loved ones.

For the Jewish High Holy Days, this year, we are pleased to debut the storytelling wisdom of a new author in our global community of authors. He’s Howard Brown, who built his career as a Silicon Valley software and social media developer—while serving as a courageous advocate for the Jewish community and for interfaith peacemaking around the world. Last week, Howard wrote about a shofar that was brought to him—halfway around the world—by a Muslim friend as a sign of peace.

In this week’s inspiring Cover Story, Howard takes us even deeper into Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur with this story about the ultimate questions we all share. Please, read this story and share it with friends.

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Need to Smile?

RABBI BOB ALPER: ‘SO, WE’RE LEFT WITH ZOOM?’

THEN, LET’S MAKE THE MOST OF IT, Rabbi Alper writes this week in our Front Edge Publishing column. In this column, he describes several adapted programs he is successfully using to reach out through the Internet. This is a column that any author—or teacher or community leader—will want to read as thousands of community groups are ramping up their online presence. Rather than surrendering to the pandemic, Bob’s road show now cruises the Internet, drawing crowds each time he performs.

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Smile No. 2—

READ BILL TAMMEUS’ WISE, WITTY REVIEW …

… OF LARRY BUXTON’s new book, 30 Days with King David on Leadership. Readers nationwide know Bill Tammeus as a master-journalist in covering religious diversity. He’s also got a wry wit that, this week, he turns toward the many trials and temptations of King David. Bill has a purpose in this witty column: He’s praising the new book by Larry Buxton about David for the remarkable feat of turning this often-flawed ruler into an inspiring lesson about the importance of the classic values that define leadership.

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Want More Good News?

OUR TEENAGERS ARE INTERESTED IN OUR FAITH

FROM PEW RESEARCHThis amazing study by a Pew team of researchers should be downloaded by anyone who cares about the faith of our families and the future of our congregations. Just one example from the report: “For instance, 73% of teens give the same answer as their parent about how important religion is to the parent, and 68% of parents give the same answer about how important religion is to their teen.” Amazing, isn’t it? Our “kids” really are influenced by the way we live out our religious lives.

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How a True Leader Expresses Empathy

 

Abraham Lincoln’s Quiet Fire

HOW SHOULD A LEADER RESPOND? September 2020 has been marked by many tragedies nationwide—from wildfires in the West to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to reflections on the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 9/11/2001. Our national conversation has often turned to the best examples of leadership in times of tragedy—so, Lincoln scholar Duncan Newcomer reminds us of this famous presidential response in 1862..

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Click this photo to read Ed’s entire review of ‘By the Grace of God.’

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FAITH & FILM 

CLICK ON THIS PREVIEW IMAGE to learn more about Ed McNulty’s September issue of Visual Parables Journal, which includes complete discussion guides to the new David Copperfield movie, the new Lovecraft series—and many more films.

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with discussion guides to films. This resource is used coast-to-coast by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Among Ed’s free reviews and columns:

  1. BY THE GRACE OF GOD, originally Grâce à Dieu—Ed writes, “Francois Ozon’s rivetting drama joins two other excellent films—Our Fathers and Spotlight—that personalize the issue of the abuse of boys by priests and its cover-up. The script, written by the director, is based on the real lives of three men abused as boys by Father Bernard Preynat (Bernard Verley).”
  2. THE COMEY RULE—”Director/writer Billy Ray’s two-part miniseries centering on relationship between FBI Director James Comey and President Donald Trump is a political junkie’s dream picture.”
  3. A CASE OF DEADLY FORCE—Ed reaches back to 1986 to recommend this powerful drama about the shooting of a Black man by police. The film could have been made today, Ed writes.
  4. MILADA—”We should all be grateful to Netflix for bringing us Czech director David Mrnka’s English-language film about a social justice advocate largely unknown in the U.S. Milada Horáková, born in 1901, became a lawyer when few women were able to rise to this status. She championed labor and women’s issues and in the late 1930s tried unsuccessfully to warn the English of Hitler’s true intentions. She returned to her native land to take part with her husband Bohuslav Horák in the resistance to the Nazis.”
  5. DANGEROUS LIES—”Director Michael Scott’s mystery can provide an enjoyable time away from the current turmoil, especially if you enjoyed Knives Out, though his tale revolving around a good-hearted caretaker by no means rises to that level.”
  6. LOVECRAFT COUNTRYIn his review of the new HBO series, Ed writes: “I love road trip movies, and this series looks like it will rate right up there with the best, judging by the incredibly good first segment called Sundown!” Then, this new series transported Ed way back into the roots of his own fascination with science fiction—so he adds this personal column about early sci-fi fans he knew and the genre’s potential to expand our worlds in helpful ways.
  7. PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD—Ed writes, “Regarded as Charles Dickens’ most autobiographical novel, David Copperfield had been filmed 13 times before Armando Iannucci adapted it. Thoroughly enjoying his political satire, The Death of Stalin, I was looking forward to seeing this new version, noted for its color-blind casting and touch of surrealistic absurdity. I was not disappointed, the director and co-writer Simon Blackwell giving us a whimsical romp through the sprawling novel in just under two hours.”
  8. IRON JAWED ANGELS—Ed writes, “Although there are many good films dealing with the Civil Rights movement, there are relatively few about the struggle for women’s rights. Thus we should be glad that HBO saw fit to produce this film for Women’s History Month in March of 2004. … This is a film that should be seen by every American who treasures the progress that genuine democracy has made in this country.” (5 out of 5 stars)
  9. SUFFRAGETTE—”This film, set in England a few years before the First World War, could be considered a prequel to the 2004 movie Iron Jawed Angels. Alice Paul and Lucy Burns both gained experience in the women’s rights movement in England. This newer film mixes real characters with fictional ones.” (4.5 stars)
  10. FRANCESCO—”Italian director Michele Soavi serves up a very imaginative version of the life of Christendom’s most beloved saint, Francis of Assisi.” (4.5 Stars)

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