The first time I heard about Babi Yar was when I was in high school in summer camp. We learned the powerful poem written in the 1960’s by the Russian poet Yevtushenko which was a scorching indictment of Soviet Russia for neglecting and whitewashing the tragedy that took place in the forest on the outskirts …
I had heard of the work of the Joint Distribution Committee, the overseas arm of the American Jewish community helping to sustain Jews and Jewish life in remote recesses of the Former Soviet Union. In the 1970’s and 80’s we rallied to allow Soviet Jews to emigrate. Now we are involved in the largest scale …
As names were called at the graduation of my youngest son from college last week, I could not help but think about the names of the 20 young children who had been killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School and whose names will not be called at a graduation ceremony. I want to share with …
December 15, 2012 The term used by the IDF, the Israel Defense Forces for its recent campaign in Gaza was Amud Anan, which was translated into English as “Pillar of Defense.” The translation is not accurate, and although I wish the translation would have been more faithful to the original Hebrew, I can understand …
December 8, 2012 On December 6, 1987, a sunny, but chilly Sunday, 25 years ago, Jewish history was made, and the history of the world was forever changed. As a result of the work of the Jewish community, concern for the plight of Soviet Jews, and advocating freedom for their right to emigrate …
It is an old adage that things change quickly in Israel. That was evident when we started our day with the Minister of Tourism, who just before our meeting had announced that he was taking a leave of absence from politics and would not be running in the upcoming election. From there we went …
I arrived in Israel yesterday, Monday as a member of a delegation of conservative rabbis and lay leaders from the US. I had not planned to be a part of this trip, sponsored by Masorti, the conservative movement in Israel. However after the shellings in Israel and the Pillar of Defense campaign by the IDF, …
Yom Kippur September 26, 2012 I am sure many of you are familiar with, and perhaps even grew up with the wonderful children’s book, “Good Night Moon.” I used to love reading it to my children when they were little. The room slowly growing darker, the grandmother whispering hush, the picture of the cow …
Yom Kippur September 25, 2012 At the time of the last presidential election I spoke about the factors I suggested should be taken into consideration when deciding who to vote for. I specifically did not endorse either candidate, and was pleased when some of you who heard the sermon interpreted it to be in …
Rosh Hashana 5773 September 18, 2012 I like to remind people, especially at this time of year, that Judaism is relevant and can help us in our daily lives, and that we can apply its insights into the challenges we encounter in mundane matters. Recently I took my own advice, in an interaction with …
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