Shabak Samech’s 2000 hit single Nofel v’kam / “Fall and Get Up” begins with a citation from the Haggadah, “In every generation one must see themselves as if they left Egypt,” with this core message echoing throughout this modern midrash of a song. The chorus of the song describes the Jewish condition: The road is […]
Gaza Ceasefire Collapses; Houthis Target U.S. and Israel BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES Gaza Ceasefire Collapses After Hamas Refuses to Release Hostages In response to Hamas rejecting all proposals to release the remaining 59 hostages, including 24 assumed alive, Israeli Defense Forces have resumed attacks on terrorist leaders in Gaza. Hamas continued […]
“Mordechai learned of the matter and told it to Esther and she told the King in Mordechai’s name” [Megillat Esther 2:22] Twice in Megillat Esther, Mordechai becomes aware of critical information, as he sits outside the palace gates, in the streets of the city. He passes that information on to Esther, who chooses to believe […]
From Ancient Persia to Modern U.S. Campuses: Echoes of Purim Continue BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – EVENTS – STORIES Book of Esther: The Story of Purim The Jewish holiday of Purim celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from a massacre in ancient Persia, now known as Iran. The decree for the annihilation of […]
A Shabbat prayer says If our mouths were filled with song like the expanse of the sea … we could not thank you enough, Gd, for the good that you have done for us and for our ancestors. After 2,000 years of suffering the cruelty of our enemies, how have these words continued to be […]
Ethiopian Immigration: A Story of Faith, Freedom and Fulfillment BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES The daring Israeli rescue of Ethiopian Jews 40 years ago proved the resilience of the Jewish people and commitment to their protection worldwide – demonstrated throughout history – found a powerful expression in Operation Moses. Recently commemorated, this […]
Moral Decay: Equating Terrorists with Innocent Victims BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – DISPELLING MYTHS – STORIES Anyone who refuses to condemn the evil acts of Hamas abandons their basic human values and morals. The staged hostage releases have been cynical, humiliating and depraved – produced for live broadcast by Hamas and spread to […]
President’s Message | February 21, 2025 Rabbi Hillel Skolnik President, MERCAZ USA One of the most central aspects to our observance of Shabbat is the idea of Shabbat Menucha – Shabbat rest. Shabbat, among many other things, is meant to be a time that we set aside the work and labor of the other six […]
Not in the Heavens by Hamutal Bar-Yosef Not in the heavens, Not far away, Goodness blew like wind. Is it not very close? Is it not here? Is its flame not in your hand, whispering to perform it now? Goodness blows like the wind — not up in the heavens, writes Hamutal Bar-Yosef, playing on […]
Surviving Hell: Israeli Hostages Bear Witness to Horrors BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – DISPELLING FALSEHOODS – ACTIONS – PERSON OF THE WEEK – STORIES ‘The vile lottery of Jewish lives continues’ As hostages are being released in a slow and painful process, the captives and their families are suffering devastating psychological effects, now 500 days […]