Listen: The Power of Tekiah Gedolah
“Wake up, wake up, you sleepers from your sleep, and awake you slumberers from your slumber.” (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Teshuvah 3:4)
What do the United States, Papua New Guinea and Oman have in Common?
Of 185 nations, the United States is part of a small group of three, alongside Papua New Guinea and Oman.
The Struggle for Pluralism at the Kotel Continues
Three times a year – on Sukkot, Pesach and Shavuot – tens of thousands of men gather at the Western Wall to hear Birkat Kohanim, the
The Sound of Silence: My Musical Mode for Victoria Day
The relationship between music and time has always played an integral role in my life. As a cantor, I chant particular nusachaot (traditional musical modes) to alert the community to specific times in the calendar. The melodies tell my congregation not only the time of year, but also the time of day. For example, the nusach of this niggun (wordless melody) foreshadows the High Holidays just as the chromatic, haunting tones of Kol Nidre usher in Yom Kippur.
United Nations Holds Historic Summit on International Drug Policy
On April 19-21, 2016, politicians and advocates from around the world convened at the United Nations headquarters in New York City for the UN General Assembly Special Session on Drugs (UNGASS), a meeting to discuss the course of international drug p
Celebrate Pride Month 2016
Each June, we honor the movement for LGBT equality and inclusion, celebrate recent victories against discrimination and recommit to making progress surrounding LGBT issues in the future.
Why I Serve in the Military
A minute’s walk from the synagogue is the town’s war memorial, where the names of Petoskey’s fallen sons are forever enshrined. One of those names belongs to Navy SEAL Senior Chief Petty Officer Heath Robinson, z’l. Senior Chief Robinson was killed in the mountains of Afghanistan when the helicopter he was riding in was shot down on August 6, 2011. Although I didn’t know the Senior Chief, I was in Afghanistan on the day he and 37 other brave warriors died, making it perhaps the single worst day of that deployment for me and a lot of other folks serving there. Before each Shabbat in Petoskey, I went to the memorial, knelt down, put my hand on his name, and simply said “Thank you.”
Side by Side for Fair Trade
This week’s Torah reading is Parshat Kedoshim, which includes this famous verse from Leviticus 19:18, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your countrymen.
Many Approaches to Tackling Predatory Lending
This week, Google announced that it will no longer allow advertisements for predatory payday loans on its website.
Galilee Diary: Why Are We on the Sidelines in the Fight for Liberal Education in Israel?
When I was a principal in Jewish day schools in the U.S., it was not uncommon for schools to outsource the teaching of certain difficult topics to outside contractors; e.g., drugs, bullying, sex education.
I assume this is still the case.