Each year, we gather around the Seder table and ask the same question: “Why is this night different from all other nights?” But this year, another question looms even larger: How do we tell the story of the Exodus when this year’s Jewish story includes massacre and war? On October 7, 2023, the Jewish people experienced the most violent day against Jews since the Holocaust. That trauma, and all that has followed — war in Israel, rising antisemitism around the world, the silence of friends and … [Read more...]

Every Passover, Jews around the world sit down to retell the story of liberation, anchoring ancient tradition to contemporary realities. The seder compels us not only to remember our past but to examine our present and imagine a more just future. Among the most compelling and evocative moments in the Haggadah is the narrative of the Four Children—archetypes traditionally labeled the wise, the wicked, the simple, and the one who does not know how to ask. These figures invite introspection and … [Read more...]

I was born in 1980, which means I grew up in a world where Zionism was assumed, not explained. I remember watching Exodus on VHS, writing letters to Soviet Jewry, seeing Rabin and Arafat shake hands on the White House lawn, and lighting candles during the first Gulf War while gas masks sat waiting in Israeli classrooms. Israel was central to Jewish identity. It was a miracle, imperfect but ours. Zionism wasn’t something you had to apologize for. It wasn’t something that required a trigger … [Read more...]

https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/its-time-to-say-yes Eight Years Later and We Are Still Lost Eight years ago, I wrote a piece titled "It's Time to Say Yes," arguing that Conservative Judaism must embrace officiation at interfaith weddings to remain relevant and engaged in the modern Jewish world. Today, reflecting back, it's clear we've traveled a significant distance, yet in many ways, we've hardly moved at all. What Has Changed in 8 Years? Since publishing "It's Time to Say Yes," … [Read more...]

In the weeks following October 7, a fundamental question emerged throughout Jewish communities around the globe: “How do we bring people back to communal life?” At first glance, this question appears practical and pressing. However, given the backdrop of unprecedented existential vulnerability facing the Jewish people, the question reveals a deeper crisis. It indicates an institutional disconnect—a profound misalignment between organizational concerns and the deeper, existential needs of … [Read more...]

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/06/magazine/holocaust-story-education.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare Inadequate Holocaust education not only dishonors the memory of victims but also leaves students ill-equipped to recognize rising antisemitism and threats to democracy today. A recent article in The New York Times Magazine underscores the troubling truth that, despite educational mandates, Holocaust education in American schools remains inconsistent, incomplete, … [Read more...]

The late Rabbi Louis Finkelstein famously quipped, “You can’t be a success in the American rabbinate if you can’t talk baseball.” It wasn’t just a throwaway line. It was a recognition that for Jews in America—especially rabbis—baseball isn’t merely a pastime. It’s a shared language. A cultural meeting point. A sacred thread in the fabric of Jewish-American life. Even Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, the philosopher-poet of modern Jewish thought, appreciated the game’s meditative pace and … [Read more...]

If you walked into almost any synagogue on a Friday evening, you'd encounter familiar sights and sounds: candles flickering softly, ancient prayers being chanted, wine lifted, and fresh bread blessed and broken. At first glance, nothing about this scene appears especially revolutionary. Yet, beneath the surface, Judaism's sacred rhythm of Shabbat contains a radical economic message. In fact, a careful examination of Jewish tradition—from Shabbat to Shmita and Yovel, enriched by rabbinic … [Read more...]

Throughout history, Jews have navigated the complex terrain of belonging in a world that too often reminds us we are different. We’ve changed our names, downplayed our traditions, dressed to blend in, and worked to prove that we deserve a seat at the proverbial table. We have joined the clubs, paid the dues, followed the rules, and contributed to our communities in the hope that we would be fully embraced—not just tolerated, but accepted. And still, despite our efforts, the message comes … [Read more...]

In 2016, 2020, and again in 2024, a familiar storyline took hold in Jewish communal life: President Trump was tearing the Jewish community apart. To some extent, that narrative held truth. Trump’s presidency exposed and intensified longstanding tensions among American Jews—over Charlottesville, over embassy moves, over antisemitic dog whistles and dinner guests with swastika-laced social media. To many, he was a defender of Israel; to others, a threat to democracy and decency. But here’s what we … [Read more...]