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.
A Jewish Response to the President's State of the Union Address
As the new director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, I watched President Obama’s State of the Union speech with fresh eyes, looking for areas where we can work with the president and Congress in the coming year to advance our Reform Movement's soc
Bread and Jam: A Story of Two Families for Holocaust Remembrance Day
During World War II in Lithuania, the penalty for hiding Jews was death. Nonetheless, Jura’s family extended a helping hand to mine.
Why I'm Running in the World Zionist Congress Elections
When the ARZA slate for the World Zionist Congress elections was officially announced earlier this month with my name on it, I was humbled.
All of Our Voices, Singing a New Song
I’ve always loved music. I’ve never been one for performing, but raising my voice in joyful song – to build solidarity for a cause, to pray to God, or to join spiritually with a holy community – has always been one of my favorite things.
The Torah in Haiku: Bo
Parashah Bo includes a description of the Passover observance. Three times, reference is made to answering questions children may ask about it. These verses are considered the source for three of the four children in the Haggadah.
The Song of the Sea and Shabbat Shirah
Shabbat Shirah is on January 30th this year, and is another name for the week we read the Torah portion called B'shalach. In this portion, the Israelites have just been freed from Egypt and we read about the splitting of the Red Sea.
Faith, Fear, and the Story of Nachshon and the Red Sea
I'm in one of those places: stuck, prickly, at the very edge of letting go, trembling with the effort to not tip over the edge into the abyss of the unknown, desperate to take that final leap of faith and soar towards light and wholeness.