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As Rosh Hashanah nears, a rabbi invites Jewish skeptics to ‘Pretend You Believe’
By Extra Extra Editorial
Cross-spectrum analysis, synthesized with AI from 4 sources · Updated
As Rosh Hashanah approaches, a rabbi has issued an invitation to Jewish skeptics and those struggling with faith to participate in the holiday by adopting a posture of belief, even if genuine conviction is absent. The proposal centers on the shofar, the ram's horn traditionally sounded during the Jewish New Year, and its historical and spiritual significance. This framing addresses a tension within Jewish communities between secular or doubting members and the religious observance expected during major holidays. The coverage reflects broader questions about how religious traditions accommodate participants with varying levels of faith commitment.
Left-leaning coverage frames the holiday period as an opportunity for personal renewal and fresh starts, emphasizing the introspective and transformative potential of Rosh Hashanah observance. This perspective centers on individual agency and the possibility of meaningful engagement with tradition regardless of prior skepticism.
Center and independent sources provide educational context about the shofar's ancient origins and ceremonial role, treating the rabbi's invitation as a contemporary response to modern religious participation challenges. These outlets present the story as part of a broader exploration of how Jewish communities interpret and practice their traditions in the present day.
Right-leaning coverage emphasizes the shofar's call as a unifying force for the Jewish people, framing Rosh Hashanah through a lens of collective identity and shared responsibility. This perspective prioritizes communal cohesion and the symbolic power of tradition to bind believers together.
Key Differences
- Left outlets stress personal renewal and individual choice in engaging with tradition, while right-leaning sources emphasize collective unity and communal obligation.
- Center sources focus on historical and educational context about ritual practice, whereas right-leaning coverage prioritizes the symbolic and unifying dimensions of the observance.
- The rabbi's specific invitation to skeptics receives direct attention in center coverage but is largely absent from right-leaning framing, which instead focuses on broader themes of Jewish solidarity.
How this story is being covered
Extra Extra has grouped 4 reports on this story from 3 news outlets across the political spectrum. By political lean, that breaks down as 1 left-leaning, 2 center, and 1 right-leaning sources.
With a coverage-diversity score of 95 out of 100, this is one of the more evenly reported stories in our index right now — left, center, and right outlets are all giving it attention.
On reliability, 3 of the 3 rated outlets carry a high or mostly-factual reliability rating (A or B). Ratings are drawn from independent assessments and are meant to help you weigh each report, not to tell you which to trust.
Coverage of this story has developed over roughly 41 hours, so the perspectives below capture how the framing shifted as the story matured.
Below, the same story is laid out side by side as left, center, and right outlets reported it. Read across the columns and watch what changes: the headline emphasis, which facts lead, the adjectives, and what each side leaves out. The story itself rarely changes — the framing almost always does.
Outlets covering this story: Anchorage Daily News, Religion News Service, The Jerusalem Post.
Left(1)
Center(2)
Religion News ServiceBSep 11, 6:10 PM
What the shofar’s ancient sound means on Rosh Hashanah
(RNS and NPR) — The shofar marks moments of heightened experience and emotion — and the Jewish new year.
Religion News ServiceBSep 11, 3:00 PM
As Rosh Hashanah nears, a rabbi invites Jewish skeptics to ‘Pretend You Believe’
(RNS) — The leader of an innovative San Francisco synagogue called The Kitchen counsels skeptical Jews to put aside the question of belief and enter into the experience first.
Right(1)
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