boston:

THE BIG PICTURE

The Hajj and Eid al-Adha

- The Hajj pilgrimage draws millions of Muslims from around the world every year to Mecca, the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, Islam’s holiest place. Collected here are photographs of the Hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, as well as images of preparations for the Hajj and Eid al-Adha in many other parts of the Muslim world. (42 photos total)

life:

In Jackson, Georgia, Unitarian minister Lynn Hopkins, left, consoles her spouse, Carolyn Bond, after hearing news the Supreme Court denied a last-minute appeal of convicted killer Troy Davis, who was executed on Wednesday night.

see more — The Faces Behind Famous Court Cases

beingblog:

Glimpses of Jewish Cuba

by Nancy Rosenbaum, producer

Last week I visited one of Cuba’s few operating synagogues. It was founded in 1939 by Sephardic Turkish Jews who immigrated to the eastern Cuban city of Santiago de Cuba in the first decades of the 20th century. Later, they were joined by Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe fleeing Nazi persecution.

The synagogue’s doors were shuttered from 1980-1995. I was told that an Argentine rabbi came in the 1990s and helped to revive Jewish life here. Today, roughly two dozen members attend services. Over the years, the Jewish community in Santiago de Cuba has dwindled. People have opted to leave Cuba to make a new life in Israel. Still, according to congregant Emma Levy (pictured below in the flowered dress), as long as there’s one member, the doors of the Santiago de Cuba’s historic synagogue will remain open and Shabbat candles will illuminate the temple’s sanctuary each Friday.

(All photos by Nancy Rosenbaum)

theatlantic:

Ramadan 2011

Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, began earlier this month with the sighting of the new moon. Throughout this ninth month on the Islamic calendar, devout Muslims must abstain from food, drink, and sex from dawn until sunset. The fast, one of the five pillars of Islam, is seen as a time for spiritual reflection, prayers, and charity. After sunset, Muslims traditionally break the fast by eating three dates, performing the Maghrib prayer, and sitting down to Iftar, the main evening meal, where communities and families gather together.

Above: Muslims offer Friday prayers at Mohammed Al-Amin Mosque in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, on Friday, Aug. 5, 2011. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

See more excellent photos at In Focus