On the first night of Passover, a night meant to symbolize freedom, redemption, and the safety of home, Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania found himself and his family confronting an unthinkable nightmare. At approximately 2:00 a.m., as the Shapiro family rested after hosting a Passover Seder, state troopers urgently awoke them to inform them that their home had been set ablaze. Molotov cocktails had shattered windows, igniting the dining and piano rooms in an act of shocking violence and … [Read more...]

What I want my children to know about being Jewish in 2025 cannot be inscribed on a donor wall. It will not be found in the minutes of a board meeting or captured in a gala tribute video. It cannot be named after you. It is something quieter, deeper, and more enduring. It is the knowledge that Judaism is not a legacy to be managed but a covenant to be lived. And that the great project of Jewish continuity will not be secured by capital campaigns or commemorative plaques. It will be secured by … [Read more...]

Last night, as our Seder drew to a close, my son Leor asked a question that reverberated far beyond our dining room. He noticed that the PJ Library Haggadah we were using had omitted a line many of us consider central to the Passover liturgy: “Vehi sheamda lavoteinu velanu…” — “And this is what has stood by our ancestors and by us; for not only one enemy has risen against us to destroy us, but in every generation, they rise against us. And the Holy Blessed One saves us from their hands.” When … [Read more...]

Every Passover, we gather around the seder table and encounter the timeless story of the Four Children. We know these characters well: the wise child, who eagerly asks insightful questions; the wicked child, who provocatively challenges us; the simple child, who innocently seeks understanding—and finally, the fourth child, who “does not know how to ask.” This last child often fades quietly into the background, easily overlooked amid the lively exchanges prompted by the other three. But … [Read more...]

Passover is, fundamentally, a holiday of presence. Families and friends gather together around tables laden with symbolic foods, recounting an ancient story of liberation from slavery and reflecting upon themes of freedom, redemption, and renewal. The seder, with its meticulously structured rituals and deeply embedded symbolism, is perhaps Judaism's most intimate and personal communal experience. Yet each year, many of us find ourselves confronting an achingly poignant symbol: the empty seats at … [Read more...]

Not some far-off realm of reward. But this: being alive enough to notice the good. Being close enough to someone you love to witness their becoming. Being present enough to realize you’re in the middle of something sacred. Right here. On the bleachers. With the smell of leather and dirt and bubblegum in the air. I used to think heaven was somewhere you went. Now, I wonder if it’s something you choose to notice. There’s something holy about this game. Not in a dogmatic sense. But in the way … [Read more...]

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...]