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The festival of Sukkot is known as Zman Simchatenu — the “Time of Our Rejoicing.” Our joy during this season stems from two profound sources.

First, Sukkot commemorates the 40 years the Israelites spent wandering in the wilderness after…

Some thoughts on my mind for Sukkot:

1. Control and Faith: Sukkot is being in God’s protection. That is the memory of the Sukkot of the Midbar. That is the verse כי יצפננו בסוכו ביום רעה (Psalm 27). We live in a world in…

I want to begin today by taking you back to a place many of us would rather forget: middle school.

Everyone knows that the years spent in middle school are perhaps the hardest for many students to navigate. During this time children learn to…

The headlines suggest a breakthrough. Trump has muscled both sides toward a Gaza agreement – Netanyahu appears cornered by American pressure, Hamas has reportedly accepted the terms, and negotiators are ironing out “final details.” But…

As I write, a 600-meter sukkah is rising in the Tel Aviv port. Its walls are covered with the art of the great gay painter-laureate of Tel Aviv, Rafi Peretz. The “Israeli Sukkah” will be big enough for 500 people, more in a pinch, and…

The Yom Kippur terrorist attack at the Manchester Heaton Park synagogue, which caused the death of two worshippers and the injury of three people, including the local security guard, once again reminded us that the threat of terrorism in…

Alongside Trump’s 20-point peace plan, Women Champions for Change (WCC) summit offered a shift from gridlock to imagination and faith.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks defined the difference between Optimism, Hope and Faith.

Optimism is the belief that…

This Tuesday, October 7th, marks the second anniversary of the worst tragedy to befallen our Jewish people since the horrors and atrocities of  Holocaust.

When reflecting upon this period of time, it is so difficult to fathom…

The Jewish tradition is largely about joy. At first, that doesn’t sound right. Have we not had a tragic history? Do we not still suffer? Was not this past year alone excruciating? There is a distinctive Jewish concept of celebration. Let me…

At last week’s Rosh Hashanah service, our rabbi, in her sermon, spoke about the current extremely dangerous time for the world’s Jewish people. Globally, antisemitism has surged. She said, “The Jewish story of the last century has…