Clik here to view.
Where Are the Strong and Who Are the Trusted?
In the wake of the insurrectionist assault on the Capitol building on January 6th, another ‘day that will live in infamy’ and have a ripple effect on the future of this country, a line from one of my...
View ArticleClik here to view.
When You Need Support, Look for Comfort in Sacred Acts
RETURNING I remember things from my early childhood from about adult chest height down. So it checks out that my memories of Temple (we didn’t call it synagogue or shul) would be mostly 3’ or lower...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Is Religion Changing?
This may be a somewhat controversial subject, and it depends on how one define’s “religion” but I’ve wondered about this for some time. We’ve all seen the Gallup polls regarding the decline in worship...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Enlightening Up!
Earlier today, I found myself immersed in a Zoom service for The Interfaith Temple which is staffed by folks, who, like me, graduated (Class of 1999) from The New Seminary, an interfaith program based...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Trauma and Pink Slushies After the Shaloh Jewish School Stabbing
Two Jews (one of them, me, Israeli), a Black pastor, and the rest of a multi-ethnic, Boston city trauma response team, walk into a…Chabad school. Not a bar, but it still sounds like the opening line of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Revisiting the Gate
Six years ago today, I was standing on a stage in NYC offering a tribute to my parents when I spoke at an event sponsored by The Good Men Project. It was called Meet You At the Gate. I just watched...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Long and Winding Spiritual Journey
I received a thought-provoking email a few years ago from someone I don’t know personally. She must have read something I penned on social media or one of many publications for which I write. I know...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Whoopi Goldberg and the Controversy of European Jewish Racialization
Actor and comedian, Whoopi Goldberg, set off a firestorm in her position as co-host of the TV talk show, “The View,” on Monday, January 31 during a segment discussing a Tennessee school board banning...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ritual Richness
Ritual has long been a part of my life from childhood, growing up in a Jewish home, to sharing them with various communities as I went out into the world. I enjoy creating them and participating in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Antisemitism Isn’t Just ‘Jew-hatred’ – It’s Anti-jewish Racism
By Dov Waxman, University of California, Los Angeles Antisemitism has been in the news a lot lately. Hip-hop megastar Ye – formerly known as Kanye West – tweeted Oct. 8, 2022 that he would “go death...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Heretical Irony of Christian Anti-Semitism
Here in America, anti-Jewish hatred is experiencing a dangerous Renaissance. From Kanye West’s incessant conspiratorial claims, to Elon Musk’s re-platforming of banned users, to Donald Trump’s dinner...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Wall Separating “Church & State” Stands as a Myth Constructed by U.S....
Is the United States of America a Christian nation, or has it actually built an impenetrable wall separating religion from government – separating so-called “Church and State”? President Joe Biden...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Orthodox Judaism Can Still Be a Difficult World for LGBTQ Jews – But in Some...
By Orit Avishai, Fordham University Yeshiva University, the storied modern Orthodox Jewish university in New York City, is in the midst of a legal battle over its refusal to recognize the YU Pride...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Saying Kaddish for a Good Mensch
I said Kaddish (the Jewish mourners’ prayer) for my father tonight, April 2, 2023. Tomorrow is the 15th anniversary of his death. Hard to imagine that much time has passed since he took his last...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Reminder of My Ancestors
Last night, as I was flipping through the channels and landing on PBS, I was delighted to have caught the beginning of this classic film, that I have seen numerous times throughout my life. The film...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nonbinary Genders Beyond ‘Male’ and ‘Female’ Would Have Been No Surprise to...
By Sarah Imhoff, Indiana University “Genderqueer” and “nonbinary” are contemporary terms for people who don’t fit neatly into male or female categories. But acknowledging that not everyone fits neatly...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Thank-You Note to Anti-Semites
Dear Jew Haters, My father was born in 1945, the year the U.S. and its allies defeated Hitler and the Nazis. The slaughter, rape, enslavement and torture of millions of the only 16.6 million Jews...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Adam Sandler’s Hanukkah Song Changed My Life
This is the time of year when I indulge in my annual discourse about the largely overlooked importance of the oeuvre of Adam Sandler. “The Hanukkah Song” — along with predictably varying spellings...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Is it the End of the World?
Several years ago, a member of the congregation I served asked if I would officiate at a relative’s wedding. I agreed as a favor, even though I had some concerns based on rumors I had heard. When I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Trump Attacks U.S. Democratic Jews While Failing His Own Loyalty Test
Donald Trump’s recent characterization of American Jews who vote for Democrats as people who hate their religion and hate Israel is more than simply another stereotypical, ignorant, and biased rant...
View Article
