Some of the recent disturbing polling data about how Jews are perceived in the US put me in mind of two conversations I had recently, where the person I was talking to had something negative to say about other Jews. One of them was a now completely secular Jew who grew up in a mainstream non…
I have an important message this week. I want to share it not because of a political, religious or social agenda, but rather because the times and circumstances demand it.
There is no excuse - not political, not religious, not social, and not to score more followers and likes - for anyone, …
Imagine you are on your way, with your family, to a long awaited and much needed vacation. You’ve left the pressures of work behind, and you are waiting for your flight to somewhere sunny and warm. And then you hear that your flight is delayed, without much more info than that. You look ar…
On Wednesday evening, I was honored to take part in a commemoration of the antisemitic attack that took place in Monsey three years ago, injuring five and taking the life of Rabbi Joseph Neumann. Today I’m sharing some of the thoughts I spoke about, and combining them with a broader messag…
At the end of November, our Director of Community and Donor Relations, Yossi Hertz, began a month-long stay in Israel. He spent several days working remotely, but the rest of the month he will spend doing miluim, reserve duty with his unit in the IDF’s Pikud HaOref, or Home Front Command. …
When I was about 11 years old, my brother and I encountered a trio of 17-18 year olds one night on our way home from school who grabbed our kippot from our heads and pushed us around. The words they yelled at me I had read, but I had never heard directed at me. And the feeling of helplessnes…
I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families. We are truly blessed to be able to celebrate. One important precept of our Jewish tradition is to be thankful and to express that gratitude, whether it is to the Almighty or to our friends and neighbors. We use the term 'ha…
Lillian’s Café, organized and run through Rockland Jewish Family Service, is a unique program designed to employ individuals on the Autism Spectrum. It provides job training and real work experience to enhance the strengths and potential of each employee - who hold themselves to the highe…
This is the advice of the great sage Hillel the Elder, who lived more than 2000 years ago. Hillel was asked by a scoffer to teach him the entire Torah while he stood on one foot. Instead of rebuking his mockery, Hillel told him “That which is hateful to you, don’t do to others. That is t…
This week marks my first anniversary as CEO of the Jewish Federation and Foundation of Rockland County. It has been a busy year, getting to know this community, building bridges within and beyond it, advocating for it, and finding its hidden strengths.
I am grateful to all of those who have…
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…
