UNDERSTANDING JETHRO   There is a popular anecdote, often attributed to Rabbi Elijah Benamozegh of Livorno: One day, on his way to the synagogue, he was stopped by an atheist. “Rabbi,” the man said, “I’ve read the Bible, and I found it full of nonsense.” Benamozegh paused and replied: “Of course. The Bible contains everything: poetry for poets, philosophy for philosophers, theology for believers, history for historians… and for fools like you - only nonsense.” It’s one of my

Holocaust Memorial Day Tuesday will be Holocaust Memorial Day, and I am uneasy for a number of reasons. First, I do not like the word Holocaust. Second, I am uncomfortable with this framing of Jewish memory. Third, I am deeply sceptical. Let me explain. The choice of the word “Holocaust” over the Hebrew Shoah is not neutral. The Greek root of the term, holokauston, means a “burnt offering” — a sacrifice consumed on an altar. That religious undertone introduces a dangerous nar