If you had the opportunity to ask an Israeli anything, what would you ask? Think about that before you read on… In religious school, our students did just that with Amit, one of Pittsburgh’s Shinshinim, our 18-year-old Israeli emissary who … Continue reading →

I realized something as I took out the three books I was carrying in my bag as we traveled south for vacation. This is what I realized: Together, they reflected fully who I am. Before I tell you what they … Continue reading →

How are you preparing for the New Year? While probably subdued compared to years past, will you plan to be downtown or to watch the ball drop on television? Will you be with friends, perhaps wearing some snazzy paper hats … Continue reading →

Increasingly around the country at the most local level, parents are agitating against school boards to ban books – up tremendously in the past year or so. One interview I heard was with a man saying that it is the … Continue reading →

What’s your favorite Chanukah song? “I Have a Little Dreidel?” “O Chanukah”? “Light One Candle”? Ocho Kandelikas? The one by Adam Sandler? Or the parodies by The Maccabeats? Given the history, artistry and reflection of Jewish music on the places … Continue reading →

As I recently said in a sermon our Chanukah story nemesis, Antiochus Epiphanes, unlike other Israelite/Jew haters did not enslave or slay us. Rather, around 167 BCE, he wanted to consolidate his empire by having all his subjects worship the … Continue reading →

I was sitting at a local restaurant quietly reading one of our upcoming book discussion novels (And the Bride Closed the Door by famous Israeli author Ronit Matalon – highly recommended, quick read, discussion on December 9). At the table … Continue reading →

Do you remember the scene at the dance toward the end of Back to the Future when Michael J. Fox’s character begins to disappear because he has not yet figured out how to make his (future) father and mother fall … Continue reading →

As online connections become ubiquitous, an increasing number of ethical issues arise.  While social media outlets struggle with the balance between free speech, hate speech, and incitement; while Facebook users should struggle with sharing versus lashon hara, I believe that … Continue reading →

Where did the italics go? In our previous prayer books, the italics were the secret code–or not so secret for those in “the know”–that indicated congregational response. The regular print was for the service leader, the italicized print for the … Continue reading →