The Voice That Calls: Jewish Awakening in Our Time
Imagine being awakened at 4 AM by a voice calling you to something urgent, something that cannot wait for a more convenient hour. This is the essence of selichot – a voice that calls us from the comfortable darkness of spiritual slumber into the demanding light of self-examination and transformation. It is the voice that…
To Occupy or Not To Occupy Gaza
The morning of October 7, 2023, marked a watershed moment in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Hamas militants breached the Gaza-Israel…
The Miracle of Persistence: Lessons from a People Who Refuse to Disappear
In an age when entire civilizations have risen and fallen, when empires have crumbled to dust and languages have vanished…
The Modern Erev Rav: When Jewish Identity Becomes a Shield for Betrayal
At a time when Jewish unity, Ahavat Hinam vs. Sin’at Hinam (baseless love vs. baseless hatred), and acceptance of Klal…
Approaching encounters with curiosity and not with judgement
Teens across Israel and in Jewish communities throughout America participate in transformative encounters that shape their Jewish identity, their relationship…
Shalom, As we reflect and prepare for our entry into another space and time, I would like to share with you some of my reflections. The only references to this period of judgment we are entering is found in Leviticus 23:23, “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first…
Community of Israel – provides a common foundation for Jews of different movements, streams, and ethnic backgrounds; when realized, reflects the shared interest and destiny of the Jewish People.
Shalom friends, This week I had the priviledge of traveling to Poland with a good friend from the age of 5 (or so), Gil Weisblum. His father is a Holocaust survivor. Gil traveled with his family on a trip to Poland 15 years ago and saw “all that was needed to be seen”; his father’s…
JTS profiled me for their website. Check it out at http://www.jtsa.edu/x10636.xml