Discoveries of a Wanderer

Jesus treated women differently than others would have treated women during his time, serving as a sort of early feminist, says the Rev. Susan Sparks, senior pastor at Madison Avenue Baptist Church. “Maybe you could even say Jesus was sort of the Betty Friedan of first century Palestine, because you look at how he honored and upheld women,” she says. The sky is the limit for what women can achieve, the Rev. Serene Jones, president of Union Theological Seminary says. “And we see this in that women are in small numbers moving into high-level positions,” Jones said. “I think it’s exciting to see how women lead. And when they take up these positions, they quite often do them differently than men do, and to good effect.”

Reprinted with permission from Odyssey Networks.

Suicide rates among middle-aged Americans have risen sharply in the past decade. Brad Hirschfield, president of Clal-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, explains why suicide should be seen as a faith issue.

Reprinted with permission from Odyssey Networks

I’ve traveled to Israel and have seen the Western Wall – or Wailing Wall – in person. It’s an extraordinary experience, and while I was there I had to separate from the men to the “Women Only” section. I was surprised to learn that this custom of separation was introduced so late in history – it only started it’s modern form of gender separation in 1968.

Recently, Rabbi Elyse Frishman was among four women who were arrested in December after wearing a tallit (a prayer shawl) at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The gender discrimination women face in Israel is intolerable, said Frishman. She explains further: “In 1968, the orthodox rabbinic created a mechitza, which is a separation between men and women at the Western Wall. And the understanding here in a very traditionally observant manner, in an orthodox manner, is that men are obligated to pray. Women are not. The Orthodox have deemed this site to be a synagogue.”

“As we drew near, there’s a security gate that you need to walk through. And within a couple of minutes, a policeman came up to me and asked me to take my tallit off. They took my passport. They fingerprinted me. They took my photograph. And they wanted me to sign a statement that I knew why I was being detained and I understood. And I refused.”

Certain parts are reprinted with permission from Odyssey Networks.

Pope Benedict XVI shocked the world by announcing on February 11 that he would resign at the end of February. His decision marked the first time in nearly 600 years that a pope has stepped down before death. Significant events and moments in Benedict’s papacy include major writings, missteps and international travels. Once he steps down, he will become “pope emeritus,” moving to a former gardener’s house at the Vatican.

Originally published on Odyssey Networks