It has been a privilege to spend the last week and a half in Israel, first bringing members of Federation’s allocations committee to meet with a number of Israeli amutot (charitable organizations) to inform our decisions on how we help support and meet the needs of Israeli society in the c…
We often make assumptions in our lives. Each one of us. Most of the time, these assumptions are founded on the evidence we see and experiences we have, so that even when something is not explicit, we can infer an outcome, an explanation, or a solution which often turns out to be correct.
I …
In the past, on occasion, I have used a phrase from the book of Matthew in the Christian Bible to describe many of those who abuse, assault, antagonize and threaten Jews in their writing or pronouncements. The phrase is “fools, liars, and hypocrites”, and you may have seen me use it here…
This past week, Jews around the world experienced a joy we felt unable to express for two years finally erupt, with the release of the living hostages from Gaza. Several of those who were abducted after they were killed, or killed in captivity, were also returned. We continue to stand with t…
Two years ago, we gathered at the Rockland County courthouse, thousands strong, united in grief, shock, anger, and solidarity.
We pledged to pray, stand, advocate and act. And so we did.
Rockland, you came together over the last twenty four months, in your hundreds and your thousands, and …
I hope that all of you had a meaningful fast and experience this Yom Kippur. I found myself more emotional and connected not only with the sensibility of the Ten days of Repentance this year and this Yom Kippur than last, but also with the words on the page than I have been in some time.
At…
As I was catching up with news yesterday, after an inspiring Rosh Hashana, my eye caught a compilation of messages from Rabbis and spiritual leaders across the Jewish spectrum, compiled by one of the keenest minds in Jewish publishing, Andrew Sillow-Caroll, Editor at Large for The Jewish Wee…
Immediately after the victorious 1956 Sinai campaign, Prime Minister David Ben Gurion chose to warn against the emergence of Israel as Sparta, a warrior society emerging from the ruins of the Shoah. He warned:
“Israel has no purpose to be a new Sparta. Our power and ability will be reveal…
I stood yesterday morning at Haverstraw Bay Park at the Rockland County 9/11 memorial ceremony, as I have every year since my tenure here began. I looked around at the crowd, scanned the river, the trees, and what I could see of the parking lot.
The fact that there were over 30 uniformed la…
I’ve given a lot of thought to the meaning of the number 700, as we pass yet another awful milestone. Today we count 700 days since October 7th. 700 days of captivity for 48 of our sisters and brothers, 20 of whom are still alive and suffering at the hands of Hamas.
Though there is a long…
We’ve struggled with it, argued about it, got defensive about it, and even screamed in frustration about it. For some of us, it’s been almost all-consuming, and it has forced us to challenge our long held assumptions.
How do we reconcile our image of the world, our place in it as Jews, …
Early on in the post 10/7 war in Gaza, I was listening to Yossi Klein Halervi, the Israeli author, journalist, and philosopher, describing how the horrors of that day and the subsequent war had influenced a wave of resilient, sometimes angry, always wistful, and quietly proud songs from arti…
Last Sunday, we observed Tisha B’Av, which mourns the loss of our Temple, caused, our sages say, through our internal ‘Sinat Chinam’ -baseless hatred. I’ve read and heard many wise people declare that the antidote we must strive for is the opposite, ‘Ahavat Chinam’ - a kind of br…
The images and stories coming out of Gaza these past two weeks have been awful. There’s no maneuvering around the situation that has emerged. Military victory has been all but achieved. There are no more significant military targets other than the hostages, and approaching them at this poi…
Many of us will have seen the news this past week of the passing of Ozzy Osbourne, lead singer of Black Sabbath and godfather of the Heavy Metal genre in pop music. Osbourne was known for his outlandish and controversial stage presence, which included an incident with a bat (I shall say no m…
