The Wine Was Good: Another Look at the Trefa Banquet
There is no question that treif was served at the Highland House banquet, but 135 years later there are still a number of historical questions that need to be addressed.
Trouble at the Borders — and Within
This post is adapted from a sermon given at Temple Sinai in Washington, DC on Friday, June 29, 2018.
How Jewish Burials are Actually Green Burials, Too
I feel that it is time that we, as rabbis and as a Jewish community, begin to speak more about the environmental advantages of a traditional Jewish burial.
6 Ways French President Macron's Holocaust Speech Was Groundbreaking
It wasn't the first time that a French president acknowledged his nation's Holocaust-era guilt, but Emmanuel Macron's speech Sunday was nonetheless groundbreaking in format, content, and style.
Why Federal Court Rulings that Favor Trans Students are so Important
On May 30, 2017, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals issued a groundbreaking ruling in favor of Ashton Whitaker, the transgender student plaintiff in Whitaker v.
Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity Raises Questions
Since the establishment of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity led by Vice President Pence and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, Republicans and Democrats have questioned the commission’s true purpose.
The ABCs of Processing a Year as My Synagogue's President
The ABCs I use as a career coach to help clients self-reflect are the same ones I’m using to evaluate my first year as my synagogue’s president.
What Cantors Do to Get Families to Services… and Why
Once the High Holidays are over, I’m often left wondering what we can we do to get people back into the sanctuary before the next Rosh HaShanah rolls around.
Emmy Nominees, Radiohead, and an Uber Baby: This Week's Light-Hearted Jewish Headlines
What Jewish (or Jew-ish) news are you reading this week? Here’s a look at a few of the stories that are making us smile.
Why the Sudden Backlash Against Reform Jews?
Why now? Why the onslaught of regressive, intolerant and anti-egalitarian actions? Because we are growing — and they are scared.