April 12, 2012 I have a love-hate relationship with the New York Times. On the one hand, there are times when its coverage of Israel infuriates me. Its reporting is often biased as stories omit context or important background information. Other articles subtly distort or underreport certain facts and misrepresent events, showing Israel …
The invitation at the beginning of the seder inviting all who are hungry to come and eat is an invitation to much more than a dinner invitation to partake in a meal. It is an invitation to participate in the eternal dialogue of what it means to understand and apply the message of Judaism to …
I just recently returned from the Jewish Federations of North America Rabbinic Cabinet Mission to Budapest, Hungary and Israel. As the chairman of the Rabbinic Cabinet I was especially excited about our trip, as I had helped to plan the agenda and set up a number of our meetings. It was important that the trip …
March 3, 2012 Although I have just returned from Israel, my thoughts are much more focused on Europe, where I davened last Friday night at a synagogue with a group of 30 rabbis in Budapest, Hungary, and on Saturday morning at a very different shul. Both represent and reflect what I saw and experienced …
How to capture the full range of thoughts and emotions of a day packed with visits that started with a shaharit service at the Frankel Utca Synagogue in Budapest and concluded with ma’ariv in the beautiful spacious living room at the residence of the American ambassador to Hungary. After breakfast and remarks by a …
Trust is built on truth, and both are rare commodities. Who would have thought that a kind, good-natured, physically unimposing, seemingly well-intentioned rabbi could have succeeded in deceiving so many for so long? He seemed so unpretentious. Who would have thought not to believe a person who purported to go on daring missions, …
A woman from out of town recently attended shabbat services for the bar or bat mitzvah of the grandchild of a friend of hers. She approached me after services and inquired about a sign she saw in our building. She recognized the names of the people for whom the kitchen is named – Sophie …
Executive Director Alan Blank and I recently attended a fascinating week-long seminar at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Chicago. Part of their Institute for non-profit organizations, we participated in the fourth year of a special program developed for rabbis and synagogue executive directors about synagogue management and administration. We were …
Last month I was invited to attend a meeting in New York to brief staff members of Israel’s Knesset who were accompanied by members of the Israeli media. The session was part of a multi-day visit to educate Israeli opinion and decision makers about the American Jewish community. I spoke to them in Hebrew in …
January 14, 2012 John Mackey, who played tight end for the Baltimore Colts in the glory years when I was growing up in Baltimore used to say that being in the huddle with Johny Unitas was like being in the huddle with God. There are those who believe that God is in the …