Last week, I shared an explanation of why I don’t write critically about contentious issues in Israel in this forum. Today, I’m going to partially break that self-imposed rule. I apologize for the contradiction, not the criticism.
Last week, a lone IDF soldier who had spent more than 74…
Almost as long as I’ve been writing these messages - give or take three years now - many readers have emailed or messaged me asking me to weigh in or take sides on some of the critical and sometimes contentious issues being debated and even fought over in Israel and among the Jewish people…
Today, my family marks four years since the passing of my sister Sari Shalmon, A’H. As I stood in shul this morning, preparing to say kaddish in her memory, I wondered what she would make of the world that has evolved for us since she left us, far before her time.
As a mother of two wonde…
I often write about the work Federation has done to create a security infrastructure in Rockland, as part of a regional and nationwide network working with Jewish institutions, law enforcement, and government, training and leveraging thousands of volunteers, consulting and accessing tens of …
*For those of you who read my personal posts on Facebook, my apologies as you may have read a part of this already.
On Tuesday, I was grateful for an opportunity to celebrate at the wedding of the son of dear friends. The demands of the moment for those of us who have communal responsibili…
All too often around Chanukah we look around at the celebrations going on in our cultural surroundings - music, lights, decorations and greetings - and we do something a bit strange. Instead of appreciating the seasonal cheer on its own merits - deeply connected to the positive expression of…
Over the last month, I spent almost the entire four weeks away from home. First, I was privileged to bring a group of our Federation Allocations Committee members - for the first time in over ten years - to meet with nine vital organizations in Israel to help us determine how the Federation …
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…
