Today marks some 2500 years (depending on what account and date you use) since the army of the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar encircled Jerusalem, capital of the Kingdom of Judah. In the Jewish tradition, this day, the 10th day of Tevet, is marked by fasting, and it precedes the fasting observances of 17 Tammuz and 9 Av, marking the breaching of Jerusalem’s walls and the destruction of our first holy Temple several months later.
Looking back at the seeds of destruction, one may recall that...
Writing is one of my greatest passions. As have many, I discovered this passion as a product of a childhood suffused with books. At home, at school, in the public library, as I walked from the bus stop (!!), under my blankets in bed with a flashlight, wherever and wherever I could. I read my way through the childrens’ section of the library and went straight upstairs to the adult stacks. I found Bulfinch's Mythology, Sagan’s Cosmos, and Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. I read (again and aga...
Growing up in an interfaith family, I was exposed to two different religions and cultures from the time I was born. I personally always loved the way my parents handled this, as I was taught to go into situations with an openness to learn and a healthy respect for different customs. Ultimately my parents decided to enroll me in religious school where I studied to become a Bat Mitzvah.
Today I am married to a Jewish man and while we still celebrate other holidays with some of my family, we ha...
One of the enduring mysteries of human cognition is how to distinguish between the destructive power of fire and its capacity to illuminate, civilize, and educate. The very same flame that can burn a house down can also cook food to sustain us. A torch can be a weapon of war, and it can also illuminate a dark room so a book can be read. Without fire, we’d have had no smiths and thus no tools to use in thousands of ways; without those same smiths using that fire we’d have no weapons beyond...
Recently, my adult children came to visit me from Canada. As has become our tradition once or twice a year, we make a pilgrimage, as we are all insatiable readers, to The Strand Bookstore in Manhattan. Upon leaving at each visit, my children and I each depart with 4-5 books we’ve found among their shelves.
This time, upon perusing the highlighted and platformed books at the front of the store, I saw Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Jewish identity and indigeneity-denying screed The Message; Raja Shehad...
The United Jewish Federation of Stamford, New Canaan and Darien Connecticut, has just announced the application window for the second year of the Lilly Reiser Scholarship. The scholarship will provide ten spots for Jewish college students in New York or Connecticut, who will be attending an accredited US-based college or graduate school during the 2025-2026 academic year. Scholarships will be awarded based on financial need and merit.
Lilly Reiser was a Holocaust survivor who emigrated to th...
The connection between Rockland’s Jewish Federation and Kfar Silver Youth Village is a recent one when a group of Rockland County residents visited the school, which is supported by ORT. The agricultural/residential school located just eight miles from Gaza is part of the Zionist dream to make the Negev bloom.
Students come from all over to Kfar Silver, some born in many parts of the FSU…former Soviet Union, as well as students from Ethiopia who were airlifted to Israel with their parents. One third of the student body—750 students—live on the campus. Many come from low socio-economic and single parent families, the disadvantaged part of Israeli society. By the time these kids graduate and move on to the IDF and further educational opportunities, Kfar Silver will have given these kids a leg up they might otherwise not have had.
Rockland County’s Jewish community supports Israel in many ways. Federation’s direct support of Kfar Silver is as much about supporting Israel as it is about supporting a special project we feel a connection with…one we have grown to love.
Rockland’s Adult Jewish Education classes are for you. Background doesn’t matter. Level of education doesn’t matter. A desire to learn and participate in riveting, fascinating classes is all you need. Join our classes taught by fascinating, articulate teachers and enjoy!
Got questions? We have answers.
For young moms and dads, reading stories to their children is something many do every night at bedtime…or even in the middle of the afternoon! PJ Library, which is a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, is underwritten in Rockland County by Rockland’s Jewish Federation. It provides Jewish-themed books for children, ages 2-8 every month and gives those moms and dads a wonderful way to help them understand and appreciate what it means to be Jewish…even at a young age.
PJ Library books are wonderful additions to every Jewish family’s library. It doesn’t matter what the family’s background, knowledge or family make-up or observance is. There are PJ Library books for every kind of Jewish family.
But PJ is not only about books. It’s also about Jewish-themed activities…like Zoom classes on cooking for the holidays. And outings where young Jewish families can meet and make friendships with other young Jewish families.
Leket Israel is the largest food bank and food rescue organization in Israel. Rockland’s Federation has had a long-standing relationship with Leket because we know how important it is to take care of the most basic need of making sure people who struggle to feed themselves and their families have food to put on the table each and every day.
During the year of the pandemic, Leket Israel had to change the way it feeds people in need. It went from rescuing good, nutritious food from restaurants, hotels, and even the IDF, and feeding more than 200,000 Israelis per week, to buying 12,000 meals a day because just like here in Rockland County, the need for food increased tangentially as the Pandemic worsened and people lost their jobs.
Here in Rockland County’s Jewish community, we have a strong relationship with Leket Israel. It’s a special project we support directly and that has come to mean a lot to us. Through donations to Jewish Federation, we can see the difference those donations make in the lives of those who are helped by Leket Israel.
If you see something…
The Community Relations Council is Federation’s advocacy arm. One of its prime roles is as the Rockland Jewish community’s voice with elected officials at every level from national to local. The CRC has developed relationships with many of these people and will contact them when there’s an issue that is of concern, and must be addressed. From gatherings the were highly visible, such as the one that occurred after the Monsey stabbings, to those that are strictly behind-the-scenes, the CRC takes a strong and active role in combatting antisemitism no matter where it occurs.
The CRC makes sure our elected officials understand the pernicious effects the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) has on the State of Israel, and the hateful rhetoric that is too pervasive on certain social media channels and group pages in and around Rockland County. When the CRC becomes aware of such hate speech or any violent threats against the Jewish community, it makes sure our local officials are aware of them so they can be dealt with.
The most important role Jewish Federation plays in the community is in community weaving. Federation has built a platform where all organizations and individuals can come together to share common concerns. Through Community Weaving, Federation brings synagogues and organizations together to work for the common good of Rockland’s Jewish community.
Whether it’s to learn how to apply for security grants, or the PPP during the pandemic, or learning how to set up endowment funds for the financial security of an organization through Life and Legacy, Federation has made Community Weaving the important initiative it is for the community.
