pikuach nefesh

Must Jewish Children Be Vaccinated?

In 1999 a British lawyer fashioned a campaign against vaccines that attributed autism spectrum disorders to vaccination via a hypothetical, never substantiated link to mercury. This fraud, for which he was convicted, netted him over a million dollars in “expert” testimony. Further, all vaccines for young children are now available without therimerosol (mercury).

Can Jews Enter Churches, Mosques, etc? Considerations of When, Why & How

When Jewish Values On-line asked me to write on this question for their website, as an advocate for respectful co-existence of the world's peoples and traditions, my first inclination would have been to give a short "yes" answer.  As I really began to think carefully about it, the question requires a far more nuanced approach.

Can a Jew Enter a Church? Mosque? Or Site of Another faith?

Is a Jew permitted to enter a Church, Mosque, cathedral, temple, or the site of any other faith?

As an advocate for respectful co-existence of the world's peoples and traditions, my first inclination would have been to give a short "yes" answer to this question. As I really began to think carefully about it, the question requires a far more nuanced approach.

Contexts to Consider