Rabbi Steven Abraham

532 Days Since October 7 We live in a world where, for some Jews, time has stood still. There are October 8th Jews—those who have been frozen in grief, in rage, in fear, since that dark morning 532 days ago. And there are Jews for whom October 7 never became a defining rupture. They mourned, maybe even protested, and then got back to life. They moved on—not out of malice, but out of habit. Maybe out of comfort. Maybe out of necessity. I love them both—or at least I’m trying to. This … [Read more...]

Part II: The Unraveling of the Rabbinate If my numbers on rabbinical school admissions are slightly off, my sincerest apologies—but by how many? Not dozens. The broader truth remains unchanged: the pipeline is drying up, and the once-stable profession of the rabbinate is now teetering on the brink. Some scholars argue that the proliferation of rabbinical schools—HUC, JTS, AJU, AJR, Aleph, Hebrew College—has spread the limited pool of candidates too thin, weakening each institution’s numbers. … [Read more...]

Why No One Wants to Be a Rabbi Anymore I was ordained as a Conservative rabbi in 2011. My class—graduates from JTS and AJU—was about 30 strong. Most of us had jobs by the end of the hiring season, but not all. Oddly, the ones left waiting were mostly women—competent, learned, and ready to serve but overlooked. The landscape of the rabbinate was already shifting back then, but we didn’t fully grasp just how much. Fast forward to 2025, and rabbinical schools that once ordained dozens now … [Read more...]

Hanukkah begins in just a week, and this year, the first night falls on December 25th, Christmas Day. While the calendar might nudge us to reflect on the broader world we live in, the core message of Hanukkah calls us to look inward, to remember who we are and why that matters. Hanukkah is a celebration born out of a struggle—not just against external oppression but against internal pressures to assimilate. In the second century BCE, under the influence of Hellenistic culture, many Jews … [Read more...]

Our current understanding of intermarriage and Jewish identity is influenced by centuries of interpretation, shaped by historical context, rabbinic rulings, and evolving communal needs. For those who fear that interfaith marriage threatens Jewish survival, promoting endogamy—Jews marrying other Jews—remains essential. Conversely, others see interfaith marriage as a sign of Jewish acceptance into mainstream culture, offering an opportunity for Jewish growth and inclusivity. The biblical, Second … [Read more...]

Seven years ago, I wrote an article called “It’s Time to Say Yes.” Since then, the Jewish community has continued to change, but the Conservative Movement has not kept up. As rabbis, we have the freedom to make decisions about so many aspects of synagogue life — how we run our services, what kosher standards we follow, how we guide people through conversion. We are trusted as Mara d’atra, the final authority for our communities, on countless matters. Yet when it comes to officiating at … [Read more...]

In Jewish tradition, our obligations, or mitzvot, are not merely personal preferences but are essential acts that bind us to our community and to God. Similarly, voting is an American obligation that binds us to one another as citizens. The act of voting, like the practice of mitzvot, is both an individual and collective responsibility, reinforcing our commitment to the well-being of our country and to the values we hold dear. Jewish law divides mitzvot into two categories: Ben Adam … [Read more...]

Growing up, guns were something I only saw in movies or on the belts of police officers. Guns were not part of everyday life for most Jewish families, mine included. But in recent years—and especially after the horrific attacks of October 7, 2023—I’ve seen more and more Jews, even those with no prior connection to firearms, question whether gun ownership should become part of their reality. With antisemitism rising sharply, more American Jews are choosing to arm themselves for protection. Recent … [Read more...]

There’s a paradox in Jewish life that I have always found deeply unsettling, but never knew how to fully express: as a community, we gather in droves for moments of solemn remembrance, yet our numbers dwindle when it’s time to celebrate the joyful, living aspects of our tradition. We pour resources—time, finances, and emotional energy—into commemorating the tragedies of our past. We show up for Yizkor, Yom HaShoah, and countless memorial services, honoring our ancestors and ensuring their … [Read more...]

Abortion is one of those topics that seems to come up—conveniently—every election cycle, and I get asked about it quite a bit. Many people wonder how Judaism views this deeply complex issue. While it’s true that most Jews lean pro-choice, and that view is supported by Jewish texts and tradition, the conversation within Judaism is much more nuanced. It reflects our tradition’s deep concern for life, moral responsibility, and compassion. In Jewish thought, as with so many topics, abortion is … [Read more...]