Shimon Peres on the Futility of War
After the recent passing of Israeli President Shimon Peres, z"l, I'm remembering the time I sat down with him in a Manhattan midtown hotel in 1994 at the beginning of the Oslo process to discuss the peace process.
What Is It About Israel?
It was a straightforward question, spoken in a tone that was casual but knowing: “Did it change you?” he asked us.
Communal Aid: How to Ensure No One Falls Through the Cracks
When we made aliyah in 1990, arriving at Shorashim, the community was a moshav sheetufi, a commune of 30 families. The economy was similar to a kibbutz – all salaries, whether from communal businesses or from work “outside,” went to the common bank account; each family received a house to live in and a monthly allowance based on family size. But not anymore.
Red and Blue and White: Being an American and a Jew
I know from conversations I have had with Israelis, they find it difficult, if not impossible, to understand how Jews can feel so at home, so safe, so self-assured in the United States. For so many of our co-religionists—those who were forced to flee from oppressive regimes in the former Soviet Union, or Ethiopia, or those whose parents and grandparents fled from or grew up in the ashes of state-sanctioned hatred—they cannot possibly understand how we can live so calmly and unafraid in this nation. They can’t quite understand what it means to be an American and a Jew.
How Music Can Help Us Make Connections in Difficult Times
The Hamilton craze is sweeping the nation, and even the Jewish community isn’t exempt. Case in point: Recently, at the annual convention of the American Conference of Cantors and the Guild of Temple Musicians, several cantors led a Shacharit (morning) service that included several prayers set to tunes from the smash hit by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
And it wasn’t the only secular music to take center stage. Just two days earlier, a few colleagues and I had led a Maariv (evening) service that included “Be Here Now” by Ray LaMontagne and “Grateful” by John Bucchino.
What is it that makes secular music useful and appropriate in a service setting? Or is it?
Building Bridges: Working to Ensure Washington Won't Discriminate
“If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if for myself only, what am I?” (Pirkei Avot 1:14)
Starting my Year in Israel by Standing Up for Social Justice
This summer, I began my rabbinical school studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.
These 5 Well-Known Sites May Be Destroyed By Climate Change
Reform Jewish tradition teaches, “Do not destroy my world, for if you do, there will be nobody after you to make it right again” (Midrash Ecclesiastes Rabbah 7:13). Once these sites are destroyed, all the history and wonder they represent will be gone with them.
Stand Up for Racial Justice This Fall by Taking Action on Voting Rights
Starting this summer, the Reform Movement will be taking action around the United States under the banner of Nitzavim: Standing Up for Voter Protection and Participation.
Going for Gold: A Refugee Team Will Compete at the Rio Olympics
Having Team Refugee at the Olympic games will bring further attention to the plight of refugees worldwide, and is helping change the lives of the athletes who now have a chance to compete.