Gershom Scholem: Master of the Kabbalah
Professor Gershom Scholem (1897-1982) of the Hebrew University – arguably the greatest Jewish scholar of the 20th century – considered himself an archeologist. No, not the kind of person who digs into the history-laden soil of Israel, but rather one who delves into the Jewish religious tradition that Scholem described as “a field strewn with ruins."
How Hitler Was Made: Germany and the Rise of the Perfect Nazi
Does the world need yet another book about Adolf Hitler?
Hunting the Truth: Memoirs of Beate and Serge Klarsfeld
Even the fearless Gabriel Allon, Daniel Silva’s fictional Israeli intelligence agent, would be awestruck by the real life exploits of the Nazi-hunting husband and wife team of Beate and Serge Klarsfeld
Parashat Tzav: Taking Care of Ourselves and Each Other Amid Crisis
In recent weeks, we have found ourselves on a journey for which we have felt totally unprepared. Like our ancestors, we lack maps and familiar signposts (though we do have Zoom!) to help us get oriented in our new reality.
A Pandemic Playlist: Jewish and Secular Songs for This Moment
For many of us, words seem inadequate to describe how we are feeling at this very moment. It is music that can carry us, support us, and hold out the possibility of hope and a better future.
This Year, We Need Passover More Than Ever
Each year on Passover, we ask “Mah nishtanah,” “Why is this night different?” This year, though, we know why: Pesach 5780 is simply unlike any other.
A Jewish Values Matrix for Dealing with a Time of Illness
As we struggle to consider all our options in this ever-changing environment, we strive to make decisions using a values-based matrix that will help us to act in a consistent manner that is in line with Jewish tradition and modern sensibility.
How Will History Judge Us in This Time of Crisis?
I pray that this pandemic may be lifted speedily from this planet – and when it is, may we be able to look back without shame at the way we behaved and how we treated one another.
What Does "Next Year in Jerusalem" Really Mean?
A Passover Prayer for Congregational Leaders in the Era of COVID-19
As we prepare to enter into the holy days of Passover, let’s first take a moment to reflect on the work we’ve all done throughout the past few weeks. You have been willing to lead, and in doing so, you have helped make very narrow places, the literal translation of the word mitzrayim, a little less narrow.