Last year at this time, I wrote about my commitment to learn more about the experience of African Americans, and to develop a better understanding of the history of our friends and neighbors. One of the things I researched was the evolution of Juneteenth celebrations, first in Texas, then in…
I’ve been privileged to hear from great speakers on Israel and Jewish issues for many years. Listening to Avital Sharansky speak in 1984 about her husband Natan (then Anatoly) imprisoned in the Soviet Gulag got me started on a lifetime of activism and advocacy in the Jewish world. I’ve l…
Hillel said, "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor, that is the entire Torah, the rest is just commentary, now go and study." Shabbat 31a
The passage above is familiar to many Jews, and it is a self-explanatory interpretation of the famous passage - Love your neighbor as yours…
I can remember it very well. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon in May 1991, as I left work in Toronto - I was teaching 7th grade English at the time at a yeshiva - it was a Friday, and I was headed home. I turned right out of the parking lot, then left, and that's when I heard it.
A repo…
I hope that I caught your attention with that title.
No, I’m not talking about the collapse of communism in 1989, or the sinking of the Titanic, or even the drawn out strategic defeat of the Crusaders in the 12th and 13th centuries.
And I’m definitely not talking about Bill Buckner l…
This week, we are once again called upon to offer prayers and support for our sisters and brothers in Israel as they have faced, as of Thursday evening, over 800 rockets from Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza. It is worth bearing in mind that Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is implacable, an…
Earlier this week I had the pleasure of visiting with Imam Syed Ali of the Iqra Darul Ehsan Mesgid in Suffern. We had a long and wide ranging discussion, discovering many commonalities not only within our cultural and religious experiences, but also in how we perceive the need for growth and…
I sent my daughter off to school on Yom Haatzmaut earlier this week wearing a blue skirt, white tshirt, and Tzahal sweatshirt, with a smile on her face and a song in her heart as she and the entire school sang Hatikvah together on the steps outside. I smiled and laughed, and my own heart bea…
This Passover has been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for many of us - the happiness of celebrating with family tempered by the knowledge that a loving family in Israel has been torn from its foundations in a terror attack.
The next few weeks are another journey - from sorrow to hop…
Recently, as I often do on my drive to work, I was listening to a podcast - one of many incredible episodes by my former colleague Rabbi David Bashevkin on his 18 Forty Podcast. In several discussions, he was exploring the dynamics of families who are confronted by generational change and cr…
Two events related to the scourge of antisemitism culminated this week in action - one proactive and one reactive. As a Federation, we have to address issues as they come up, but we also have an opportunity to plan and execute policy or programming in a strategic way.
Several weeks ago, I b…
Earlier this week, I had the sad occasion to attend a funeral. I listened as family members reminisced, shared stories and painted a picture of a loving and beloved matriarch, whose memory and legacy will be cherished forever.
The Rabbi who spoke so eloquently described the kindness, humo…
Earlier this week I was honored to deliver the invocation at the New York State Senate in Albany. In my brief remarks, I referenced the upcoming holiday of Pesach and the unique attributes of freedom for the newly liberated Jewish people. I further described the convergence of freedom and re…
Yesterday, close to 100 members of our community joined me and Stephanie Hausner, COO of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish American Organizations, for a discussion about the current upheaval in Israel over Judicial Reform. Stephanie was incredibly insightful.
But I’m not goin…
For several weeks now, since the new government was formed in the wake of Israel’s recent election which gave Prime Minister Netanyahu a 65-55 majority in the Knesset, many of us have been unsettled by the rising acrimony in Israel. There are several legislative agendas being put forward b…
