Friday's News & Ideas - 12/8/2023
- Tree of Life synagogue memorial
- American Jewish belief about Israel
- Spirituality among Americans
- Denmark outlaws Quran burning
- Michael Curry hospitalized
- Gun violence, explained
Families had long dialogue after Pittsburgh synagogue attack. Now they’ve unveiled a memorial design
The Associated Press: In the years following the deadly 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue attack, relatives of those slain have gone through their own private grief, public memorial services and the trial and death sentence of the perpetrator. They’ve also been deliberating, slowly and methodically, on what kind of permanent memorial should be built to honor their loved ones.
They said only Israel could keep me safe
Sojourners: I lived in America and was American, but I was told I couldn’t trust America. I could, though, if worse came to worst, trust Israel. Israel was a promise, a shelter, and a kind of paradise, Noah Berlatsky writes.
Spirituality among Americans
Pew Research Center: 7 in 10 U.S. adults describe themselves as spiritual in some way, including 22% who are spiritual but not religious
Denmark’s parliament adopts law banning Quran burnings
Al Jazeera: Those who break the law – which forbids publicly burning, tearing or defiling holy texts – risk a fine or up to two years in prison.
Bishop Curry hospitalized for brain bleeding after fall in Syracuse
Religion News Service: Bishop Michael Curry has been hospitalized twice previously this year for internal bleeding and heart conditions.
The Spark
America’s unique, enduring gun problem, explained
The factors that lead to tragedies like the University of Nevada, Las Vegas shooting are deeply ingrained in US politics, culture, and law, Vox says.
