Galilee Diary: Independence Day II
If you will it, it will not remain just a dream.
-Theodor Herzl
So I had a little too much to drink at the Independence Day picnic and my head was spinning so I lay down on the grass for a minute…
Our Job is to Prevent Gun Violence
The utter horror of the murderous shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut remains in all of our minds and has rightly propelled us into a critical dialogue that we hope will produce real action after so many years. And the problem has been with us for many years. Much of the time, families and communities – especially in our inner cities – have fought on the front lines against gun violence without much attention from the rest of society. Now, with the alarming and increasing regularity of mass shootings – every couple of years it seems – like those in Newtown and Aurora, it should be clear to all of us that gun violence is our collective problem as a nation, and must be addressed in all of its forms.
Simultaneous Joy and Pain: The Wisdom of the Counting of the Omer
This year at our Passover seder, I experienced something deeply powerful which I had not felt in the context of Passover before.
On Jewish Unity
I met him on my flight back to Boston from Atlanta. He was a Muslim student from Dubai, I was a Jewish student from the United States. We had come from very different places but were on our way to the same university.
The Time is Now, Jason Collins
Jason Collins is black and gay. Who is Collins and why do these things matter? Some background: Collins is a good (albeit not great) active NBA basketball player, which means he is better than 99.99% of the basketball players in the world.
How Judaism is Helping Me Through a Medical Scare
Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha'olam, pokei'ach ivri'im
Blessed are you, Adonai, Sovereign of the universe, who opens the eyes of the blind.
Waiting for the Train
Every valley shall be raised up and every hill shall be brought low, and the crooked way will be made straight, and the ridges into a valley.
Fighting Racism in Israel
Ring… ring…
“If you are in contact with a goy and need assistance, press 1,” is the first option offered by Lehava's hotline.
Hearing God’s Whispers
Back in January, I spent the better part of a long Sunday afternoon at my parents' house going through the contents of my mom's desk and her wallet. Among the keepsakes I found in the wallet was a small newspaper clipping