Settling into my seat in synagogue one morning earlier this week, I suddenly noticed a rifle propped up against the wall. The scene was jarring. Though this summer will mark 15 years since we made Aliyah, there are still some sights that can give…
Category: Other
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The real Chanukah miracle
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Hanukkah in Jerusalem: Light without Apology
When Jewish Time Occupies Jewish Space
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The Cost of Speaking Over Our Own Margins
Why Jewish moral conversations must widen their frame In recent years, a familiar claim has taken hold in American Jewish cultural discourse: Jews are powerful. We are wealthy. We are influential. We dominate media, publishing, law, finance, and…
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G‑d Who Dreams
The last three Torah portions—Vayetze, Vayeshev, and Miketz—are saturated with dreams. What if the whole universe is one continuous dream of the Creator? Does G-d dream us into existence? I think so. From Plotinus to Schrödinger The idea…
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Qatari Money and the Global Caliphate
We are currently in the midst of the religious war for the global caliphate. And whether they realize it or not, the palestinianist/antizionist movement – comprised mostly of college students and the progressive community at large – is aiding…
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The Personalities of the Tribes
We get certain insights into the personalities of the various sons of Yakov. Our first introduction to Yosef is that he was a pretty annoying brother. He seemed to boast about his favored status with their father, and he told them about his…
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A Review of the Documentary October 7: Bearing Witness to the Massacre
I keep coming back to an uncomfortable thought: when something truly awful happens, many of us look for an explanation before we acknowledge what happened. But just as often, it functions as a way to steady ourselves—to keep from being…
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Before October 7, I was a Hellenist Jew
Before October 7, I was a Hellenist Jew. Not in the literal, academic sense — but in the way many of us were without ever naming it. I believed, deeply, in universality. In porous borders of identity. In the idea that if we were enlightened…
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Mark Wilf: “Rebuilding Israel Is About Healing People — Not Just Places”
This past week, at the American Zionist Movement’s Biennial National Assembly, I sat down with Mark Wilf, Chairman of the Board of Governors of The Jewish Agency , for a conversation shaped by grief, responsibility, and resolve. For Wilf,…
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Stop Dreaming
Several years ago, Rabbi Zev Leff, a prominent Rabbi from Israel, was visiting his daughter’s family in Scotland. There was a soccer match between Israel and Glasgow, and he accompanied his family to the stadium. As a goal was scored, the…
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