Last week, when we saw the first images of hostages reunited with their families, there was a collective sigh of relief. Following two horrific years, these brave souls found themselves back in Israel and back in the arms of those they love. The twenty that came back are the lucky...
This Shabbat, our youngest will become a Bar Mitzvah. Lisa and I would love to have you join us for a festive Friday night service and special oneg. Sammy is one-of-a-kind: smart, funny, understated and loving. Like all kids, he’s layered and amazing. My dad will be giving the sermon...
A week ago, we witnessed a shocking and horrific murder. It made national news. There were cries for revolution and protest. Commentators took to the networks to decry the incident. They predicted uprisings and outrage. While I feel Charlie Kirk’s rhetoric was deeply offensive when it came to minority groups,...
David Byrne, the lead singer of the Talking Heads, sings ‘the world was moving she was right there with it, and she was.’ The song, ‘And She Was,’ appeared on their 1985 album, Little Creatures. I’m not sure what he intended when he wrote that line, but – for me...
This week we come to the Torah portion of Re’eh, which opens with these harrowing words: ‘See this day I set before you blessing and curse: blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Eternal your God that I enjoin upon you this day; and curse, if you do not...
What does it mean to be a progressive Zionist? What does it mean to live between those on the far left, opposed to every Israeli action, and those on the far right, for whom Israel can do no wrong? What does it mean to love a place and a people...
This week we read the third of three Haftarah portions that precede Tisha B’Av, the day that commemorates the fall of the great Temple in Jerusalem in the year 70. These three portions each admonish the Israelites for straying from God, from Torah and from their fellow Jews. This third...
Thirty-one of us are just returning home after a powerful and transformative experience in Eastern Europe. We stayed in Warsaw and Krakow, once centers of Jewish life. We saw the horrors of Auschwitz – Birkenau with our own eyes. With every step there was so much to process. A smaller...
This week we mark the Fourth of July. Americans will take to the beaches. They will join in parades. They will fill the sky with fireworks. There will be barbecues and American music, cherry pie and domestic beer. We will mark 249 years since the formal founding of the United...
As I write these words, Israel and Iran have agreed to a very delicate and fragile ceasefire. Following two anxious weeks of bombs and missiles, these two nations have put down their weapons. Iranian leadership has long stood adamantly opposed to Israel (and America). We are the eternal scapegoats not...
