Irene Lancaster
'God meant it for good': A Jewish reading of Joseph's story
At the end of the book of Genesis Joseph reassures his brothers that he does not bear them a grudge for their horrific treatment of him when they were all younger.
80 years after Kristallnacht: Why Jews keep the 'commandments'
Even nowadays, some mitzvot can only be carried out in the Land of Israel, but that still leaves Jews in the Diaspora with a few hundred mitzvot that we should carry out daily.
Noah and Abraham: Keeping the faith and breaking the rules
Why does the Bible say (Genesis 6:9): 'Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generations. With G-d walked Noah'?
'And G-d saw that it was good': In a world defined by science, what does creation mean?
Whatever the counter-arguments by the world's thinkers, as a swimmer and music-maker Mandy knew that the key to life is immersion.
At the turn of the year, Jews return to G-d
Last week, on Rosh Hashana (the Head or Beginning of the Year), we were inscribed in G-d's book and beginning on Tuesday evening, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, our fate will be sealed.
Review: Morality in the 21st Century is about learning to love our neighbours
The series motto so far could be 'only when I learn how to properly love myself, will I be able to properly love you in a way from which society at large will benefit'. And for this, the Bible, it seems to me is still the key.
Isaiah and Adam Smith: What the Hebrew prophet tells us about nationhood
Isaiah's wonderful chapter 60, to be read in Shul on Shabbat, must be one of the most famous and beloved biblical passages ever.
True repentance: Slow, costly and sometimes impossible
The Jewish community is currently in the penitential month of Elul, when we recite Selichot, asking G-d for forgiveness.
God's glue: How the Bible teaches us to repair the world
What does 'utter adherence' mean exactly for daily life in Britain in 2018?
It takes a lot to unite Britain's Jews, but Labour's stance on antisemitism has succeeded
Yesterday's Guardian newspaper features a letter signed jointly by the entire spectrum of British rabbis, 68 in all, from the strictest ultra-Orthodox to Liberal and Reform.
'I come to praise and not to curse': Prince William's visit to Israel and how to be a pilgrim
In Hebrew, only one Hebrew letter separates the pilgrim from the spy. It takes such a small step to go either way and to end up cursing rather than blessing.
'Theodicy Beyond the Death of God': Church decline and the 'evangelistic impatience'
Dr Irene Lancaster reviews Andrew Shanks' latest book, 'Theodicy Beyond the Death of "God": The Persisting Problem of Evil'
Ruth the proselyte: Conversion versus subversion
This weekend the Jewish community enjoys a double celebration: Shabbat as usual, followed immediately by the pilgrim festival of Shavuot.
Israel at 70: The Haifa years â 6 stories
Heeding the words of Robert Wistrich to 'do something' about the antisemitism prevalent in the UK, from 2003-6 I engaged with the churches and the media.
Israel at 70: 5 stories, from Haifa to Jerusalem
Irene Lancaster writes celebrating 70 years of the state of Israel.
The 'greatest miracle': Israel at 70
To me the resurrection of the State of Israel in 1948, 2,000 years after her forced demise at the hands of the Romans and subsequent occupations by Christians and Muslims (culminating in the British occupation from 1922-47) is the greatest miracle the world has known.