Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr.

Rabbi Israel Drazin

Dr. Israel Drazin served for 31 years in the US military and attained the rank of Brigadier General. He has a PhD in Judaic Studies and a Masters Degree in psychology and a Masters Degree in Jewish Literature. He is an attorney and a rabbi.

He developed the legal strategy that saved the military chaplaincies when its constitutionality was attacked in court, and received the Legion of Merit for his service.

What Role in Society Should Literature Play?

When we read good literature, we should question what we read and why something is happening. We should seek to be stimulated by our reading to change and improve ourselves and everything. Is what we read proper? Should it have been done differently? [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Some Theorize Elijah Was Pinchas Reincarnated

Virtually every Jew—regardless of age—has heard of Elijah, whose presence inspired the “Cup of Elijah” ritual seen at every Passover celebration. Elijah’s name is also evoked in the Havdalah ceremony in a special prayer expressing our hope that Elijah will be the precursor of the Messianic Era. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Staff and Bylined Contributors

A Brilliant, Eye-Opening, and Thought-Provoking Book M. L. Samuel’s ‘Birth and Rebirth through Genesis 1-11’       

He examines the Torah text from Jewish and non-Jewish sources. He follows the rational view that Maimonides (1138-1204) taught in his introduction to his Guide of the Perplexed: that the truth is the truth no matter its source. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Israeli Book Records October 7, 2023 Actions and Reactions

The Toby Press 2024 English translation of Israel’s number one Hebrew bestseller, One Day in October, tells the stories of forty heroes who performed remarkable acts on that bloody Shabbat. The stories are dramatic and inspiring. The heroes usually tell them, but a surviving relative or friend narrates the tale if they were killed during their heroism. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Staff and Bylined Contributors

Prejudice Is More than We Think It Is

Prejudice is defined as a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or experience. It is favoring or disliking something without good reason. It is irrational. It destroys people, both the person feeling and doing it and the person or group affected by it. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Excellent dating advice, Marry a Mensch

Kigel’s longest chapter contains her Dating Don’ts. She discusses breaking up a relationship with a so-so man, experiencing opposite traits in a person, confusing bad habits with bad character, being attracted to a “bad boy,” dating guys who are not interested in marriage, having unrealistic expectations, what feelings should be taken seriously, being the pursuer as a woman, being friends with other men, and dating more than one man at a time. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Wiesel’s 1973 Novel ‘The Oath’ is Worth Reading Again

The plot is interesting, enlightening, and engaging, a delight to read. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 because of what he wrote about the horrors of the Holocaust, Russia, and other subjects.  He artistically paints his characters in his poetic style, as Rembrandt painted in oils and brought his subject to life with his paints. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Staff and Bylined Contributors

The Shabbat meal, its origin, beauty, and intelligence

The Shabbat meal contains significant items, including zemirot, which are medieval songs and ancient biblical psalms. They are a powerful means of preserving and showcasing Jewish culture’s rich and diverse nature. These sacred, secular, serious, and playful lyrics praise God and the Shabbat, transforming the meal into a time of joy and inspiration. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Novel Depicts Trials of Nazi Doctors at Nuremberg

The Nuremberg Nazi Doctors’ Trials, called United States of America v. Karl Brandt et al., occurred from December 9, 1946 to August 20, 1947. There were 23 defendants. Twenty were medical doctors. They were accused of performing Nazi human experimentation and mass murder under the guise of euthanasia. (Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Holocaust, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr.

In Appreciation of Elie Wiesel’s ‘The Testament’

The Testament is a novel focusing on the Soviet leader Stalin murdering Russia’s greatest Jewish poets and novelists on August 12, 1952, and before that date. Wiesel gathers the lives, thinking, and acts of these martyrs by imagining the tale of Paltiel Kossova , a Jewish poet who, despite devoting himself to communism, was murdered by the communist leader. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Staff and Bylined Contributors

Always Act with a Goal in Mind

Since childhood, one of my life guides has been “Always act with a goal in mind.” Later, I saw that Friedrich Nietzsche put the idea this way, “Humans need a goal to live,” and Andrew Carnegie wrote, “If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes.” [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

In Defense of a 25-Year-Old Novel by Elie Wiesel

Many reviewers found Elie Wiesel’s 1999 book The Judges difficult and abandoned it before reaching the end. They enjoyed the dozens of this Nobel Peace Prize winners’ books but dismissed this one, although it is in easy-to-read English, because they could not understand what was happening. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Staff and Bylined Contributors