Mark Gerson on The Torah, Social Science and Modern Society
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US immigration policy should take a cue from these biblical principles
By Mark Gerson | Fox News | Published September 15, 2024 | 8:00am EDT
Torah based immigration framework would eliminate the non-strategic incoherence that plagues the US system.
Since the Naturalization Act of 1790, immigration has been a consistently contentious issue in American politics.
Throughout history, America’s religious leaders have offered guidance and opinions on immigration, in general terms and concerning specific legislation.
In recent years, much of this religious guidance has centered on a verse from the Torah...
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Ten Commandments are important for children to learn from, not just see
By Mark Gerson | Fox News | Published September 1, 2024 | 10:00am EDT
In about 250 words, Ten Commandments deliver universal moral guidance.
Earlier this summer, Republican Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed into law a requirement that all public classrooms display the Ten Commandments. Broadly similar laws are moving through legislatures and courts in a variety of other states – as they have at various points over the past 75 years. Especially as the school year begins, it is worth considering: Should the Ten Commandments be placed in every classroom?
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Our children's clothes matter. Here's what science and religion teach us
By Mark Gerson | Fox News | Published August 24, 2024 10:00am EDT
How might parents use this concept to help our children in this back-to-school season?
In the past two weeks, a quintessentially local story became news around the world. The Charles Middle School in El Paso, Texas, banned all-black clothing for the coming school year because such attire "has become more associated with depression and mental health issues and/or criminality than with happy and healthy kids ready to learn."
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The solution to woke insanity can be found in an unexpected source
By Mark Gerson | Fox News | Published August 11, 2024 10:00am EDT
Moses and Joseph both needed to be publicly truthful and that's what woke insanity also needs. Gender is a choice – and, indeed, a complicated one as there are many genders. If a 12-year-old girl believes that she is a boy or "nonbinary" and wants to undergo life-altering surgery, she is vulnerable to harm – by adults suggesting that she not make irreparable changes, at least until she is old enough to get a tattoo. Climate change is "the No. 1 existential threat to the world," and a good reason for young people to live in debilitating fear and decide not to have children. Yearning for a colorblind society is racist…
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How I met Dr. Ruth, and how she changed my life
By Mark Gerson | Fox News | Published July 13, 2024 | 5:43pm EDT
I will always remember when I first met Dr. Ruth.
It was a few months before her 75th birthday – so, a little more than 21 years ago. I was at a Jewish charity event, and was walking by a few of the tables where various auction items and services were being offered. One was "Lunch with Dr. Ruth Westheimer at the Ocean Grill." I felt a tap on my shoulder.
I turned around and it was Dr. Ruth. She had two words for me, and delivered them in her famous German accented English. "Buy me!"
A little taken aback, I said the only thing one could say to Dr. Ruth: "Okay."
She reiterated it. "Buy me! I want to have the lunch with you."
I won the auction. I had no idea why Dr. Ruth was so insistent that I "buy" her. But she was a Jew, and so am I. Deep in the Jewish tradition, starting with the story of Joseph in late Genesis, is the idea that the world is full of things whose meaning and significance will only be revealed much later...