This year, we are lighting a new hanukkiah in my home. It is a traditional one, meant for oil rather than candles. It was a gift from Keren and Harel, dear friends whose lives and family are rooted in Kibbutz Re’im in the Gaza envelope….
Category: Other
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Oil, Light, and the Courage to Keep Going
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Australia needs to find its Sammy Cohen
So, who was Sammy Cohen The government school in Johannesburg where I was growing up had an almost 90% Jewish student body, with many Jewish staff members as well. The predominance was so marked that the school was closed for most of the regular…
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The Contagion Of Antisemitism Strikes Australia
The Festival of Lights was tragically and momentarily dimmed in Sydney, Australia, on December 14 when two gunmen opened fire on a Chanukah festival on Bondi Beach, killing 12 people in the bloodiest antisemitic incident in Australian history….
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The Sydney Terror Attack: Ten Urgent Reflections
Evil has, once again, reared its ugly head. Just hours ago, at a Chanukah celebration in Sydney, Australia, Jews were attacked simply for being Jews. A holiday that celebrates spiritual victory over darkness was desecrated by terror. How does a…
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There are no lone wolves
It is time to debunk the myth of lone wolves. Tragically, today Australia comes to mind. However, that down under country is not alone in suffering the consequences of the unchecked promulgation of antisemitism. The United States, a broad swath…
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Channukah’s Lights Are Sacred Protest in the Shadow of Bondi Beach
Tonight, as the first small flame of Chanukah prepares to pierce the gathering dark, our hearts struggle to hold the weight of this terrible day. Only hours ago, the shoreline of Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia, where Jewish families gathered…
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When The Words Are Gone: A Question for the World
What do you do when there are no words? What do you do when you want to speak but the words won’t come out? When they can’t get from your throat to your tongue to your lips? When they are sitting in your heart begging…
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From Israel to Bondi Beach, When Terror Reaches a Friend
”Please write more,” Arsen asked during our last meeting three weeks ago. I will, I promised, not even imagining that it would be Arsen that I’m writing about. One of the first things I saw when I woke up this morning was a beautiful…
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Peace Cannot Be Curated: The Fatal Flaws of the Doha Gaza Conference
As representatives from more than 25 nations come together in Doha on December 16 for what could be a pivotal conference on the future of Gaza, the event is clouded by notable absences, unsettling contradictions, and crucial questions about who…
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Senator Van Hollen – Protect your Jews
While it is clear as day that you have taken the side of the terrorist regime Hamas in Gaza against the Jewish state, you are silent or respond feebly to the pandemic of Jew Hatred here in the US. You didn’t take the side of…
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