Yesterday, I spoke with a group of about 40 people about the outcomes and likely scenarios following the election in Israel on Tuesday. I shared some observations, not the least important of which is that what seems to be the most favorable outcome to us here in the US may not - most likely …
There is something extraordinary, perhaps even improbable, about the Jewish people.
We are a people who have endured the rise and fall of empires, the destruction of our ancient homeland, centuries of dispersion, exclusion, persecution, expulsion, and the determined efforts of others to era…
I recently came across a powerful message delivered by British-Jewish comedian Sasha Baron Cohen, best known for his characters such as Ali G and Borat. Baron Cohen has long been an outspoken critic of the way in which social media platforms utilize algorithmic data to manipulate what users …
I'm an October 8th Jew. And an October 9th Jew. And a March 17th Jew, a June 7th Jew, a January 22nd Jew.
First, last, and always. A descendant of generations of leaders, of exiles who traced their path from the hills of Judea through the Roman Empire, Spain, France, Germany, back to Italy,…
This past Sunday, on the second day of yom tov, my uncle, Moshe ben Efrayim Zalman ve’Bracha, passed away in his 94th year. He was born in Krakow, fled as a child from the Nazis to Soviet occupied Poland, then again eastward when the Nazis attacked again in 1941. He spent the next four years…
I’ve engaged in genealogical research for over 30 years. My lineage, as is the case with many who are descended from well known rabbinic families (Horowitz, Margulies, Treves, Loew etc) allows me to trace my ancestors’ movement over time, going backwards from Poland through Austria, Bohemia,…
Today, we observe the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Today is also Erev Rosh Hashanah, the eve of our New Year 5787. We typically see the period of time from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur as a time of reflection, repentance, and aspiration for a happy year to come. Though this time is sometime…
A beautiful version of an excerpt from the Shabbat Candlelighting prayer came up in my instagram feed this past month, and I haven’t been able to stop listening to it. The song is ‘V’Zakeini’ “May I merit”.
An individual, usually the mother lighting candles on erev Shabbat, says the prayer …
This week, Americans and good people worldwide mourned the loss of Dolly Parton at age 80. Many loved her music, her acting, her public image, or her many successful businesses. Others were inspired by her humanity, generosity and philanthropy, which was innovative and substantial. She inspi…
Did I catch your attention with that cryptic title?
As the summer progresses and we gear up for our community campaign, we’ve been focusing on the idea of WHY. Why do we do any of the things we’ve come to see as necessary for Jewish life to flourish? From tzedakah to advocacy, from strength…
I did an experiment just before writing this message. I scrolled through my feed on social media, looking for non political and non conflict related Jewish content from my friends, many of whom are creators, artists, rabbis, educators, singers, chazzanim and deeply connected Jews.
One outco…
Those who have been reading these messages for a while will know that I count JRR Tolkien among my biggest literary and language influences. When I first read his works about 40-45 years ago, there was one particular passage in The Fellowship of the Ring that resonated deeply with me - with …
Over the last several days, I’ve taken particular note of developments at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. As you may know, Israel is headed to an election at the end of October. The current Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been in power for about 15.5 of the last 17 years in Israel,…
Many years ago, I did some learning and much work with Rabbi Michael Skobac, co-founder of the wonderful Jews For Judaism organization. We collaborated on countering deceptive missionary tactics and educating young and vulnerable members of our community to immunize themselves against this a…
In the wake of this week’s primary results across the country, but especially in New York City, it’s time to revisit a bit of a Political Science lesson, one I learned many years ago. If you want to understand what happened in Tuesday’s primaries, and what has been evolving for years, there’…
