It has been a tough time these past few weeks for Jews in America. We are seeing antisemitism in every element of society, from academia to billionaires on social media, from sucker punches on the streets of Brooklyn to neo nazi banners on California overpasses. We've seen swastikas and vand…
It’s that time of year when we see signs and banners, social media posts and TV ads. No, I’m not talking about Black Friday sales. Those will come soon enough. I’m talking about elections. This year, Israel’s election day will be followed about a week later by our local, state and fe…
When my older children come to visit from Canada, one of our usual running jokes is how I am now pronouncing things differently, or spelling things ‘incorrectly’, or using Fahrenheit instead of Celsius. There are many overt and some subtle - and humorous - differences between Canadian an…
As we prepare to celebrate the wonderful holiday of Sukkot, I am hopeful that those in our community looking for ways to respond to those who arrogate the right to define Zionism - Jewish self-determination in our ancestral homeland - as something evil or illegitimate, will read this…
Today I’m sharing a short history lesson. Wednesday marked what is a little known footnote in the Jewish calendar, the Fast of Gedaliah. Who was Gedaliah, you may ask? Well, he was installed by the Babylonian conquerors of Jerusalem after they sacked the First Temple in 586 BCE. His role…
