BARBARA'S TCHATZKAHS

JEWISH RENEWAL AND THE HOLOCAUST One could argue that all post-war Jewish theology is post-Holocaust theology. Without taking a stand on the historical debate as to whether or not the Holocaust is a unique event in general or in Jewish history, the existential impact of this catastrophe was such that Jewish thinking after the war was by necessity thinking through the war. Elie Weisel once said that he understood how someone who was a believer before the Holocaust could become an atheist afterward, and how someone who was an atheist before the Holocaust could later become a believer. What was incomprehensible to him was someone whose theological worldview was the same before and after the Holocaust. Understanding Jewish Renewal as a post-Holocaust phenomenon requires us to understand the role the Holocaust played in its development. Turning toward the Holocaust Jewish renewal's founder and architect, Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (b. 1924), was born into a Hasidic but semi-enlighte...

RIGHT-WING BRAIN vs. LEFT-WING BRAIN Interesting... Homo politicus: brain function of liberals, conservatives differs by Marlowe Hood The brain neurons of liberals and conservatives fire differently when confronted with tough choices, suggesting that some political divides may be hard-wired, according a study released Sunday. Aristotle may have been more on the mark than he realised when he said that man is by nature a political animal. Dozens of previous studies have established a strong link between political persuasion and certain personality traits. Conservatives tend to crave order and structure in their lives, and are more consistent in the way they make decisions. Liberals, by contrast, show a higher tolerance for ambiguity and complexity, and adapt more easily to unexpected circumstances. The affinity between political views and "cognitive style" has also been shown to be heritable, handed down from parents to children, said the study, published in the British...