“Noah” means rest, comfort. Consolation? .ותמלא הארץ חמס The land was overrun by hamas. Consolation? Does Hamas rest? The Midrash interprets hamas as theft. Theft of what by whom? Theft that justifies annihilation? In Genesis, God gave humans and animals “every plant and tree to eat.” He commanded the first human (“Adam”) on earth “to […]
by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD | President of Mercaz Olami (Representing the global Masorti/Conservative movement) With Israeli statehood a reality, Conservative Judaism became a full-fledged Zionist movement. For JTS chancellor Louis Finkelstein, the commitment to Israel was personal as well; his daughter had settled and established a family in Jerusalem, with her father making visits year after […]
UN’s Palestinian Agency Promotes Terrorism, Perpetuates Conflict BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – DISPELLING MYTHS – STORIES UN agency employees, doubling as Hamas terrorists, killed and kidnapped Israelis on 10/7 More than 10 percent of UNRWA’s Gaza staff has ties to terrorism Hamas built a data center directly beneath the UNRWA headquarters in Gaza […]
As the news comes at us fast and furious, I take a look at our synagogue community calendar and the schedule of services prepared for last year. Friday evening: hakafot for Simḥat Torah. Shabbat morning: shaḥarit, hakafot, the honors of Ḥatan Torah and Kallat Bereishit. A picture: children dance in a circle at the synagogue. […]
When Israel’s Enemies Lay Down Arms, So Can Israel BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES Since the horrific Oct.7 massacre that killed thousands and saw hundreds of innocent civilians dragged to Gaza as hostages, Israel remains under constant attack. The world’s only Jewish state is forced to engage with enemies on seven fronts […]
Via the Office of Dr. Yizhar Hess, Vice Chairman, World Zionist Organization As Simchat Torah approaches, many in Jewish communities around the world are grappling with how to celebrate the holiday in the shadow of such immense grief and tragedy. Following the devastating events of October 7th, when so many lives were lost, the question […]
Sukkot provides an opportunity to think about the truly essential values of life. This week, the tottering sukkah reminds us of life’s fragility, of how ephemeral everything physical is. We do not need much help bringing all that to mind this year, as we still mourn those who were murdered or fell in battle, still […]
Education is Crucial to Defending Israel from Bias BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – DISPELLING FALSEHOODS – ACTIONS – STORIES We value the feedback of our readers and invite you to please take 15 seconds to answer two questions about this week’s edition by clicking the image right below the Actions to Consider section. Ignorance about […]
by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD | President of Mercaz Olami (Representing the global Masorti/Conservative movement) Soon after the outbreak of World War II, Jewish Theological Seminary chancellor Dr. Cyrus Adler passed away, and leadership of the JTS and of Judaism’s Conservative Movement was placed into the hands of Rabbi Louis Finkelstein, a JTS graduate and longtime assistant […]
On Sunday, October 6, the Masorti/Conservative movement held a global online event to mark one year since the terrorist attack, honor those killed during the Hamas massacre and the fallen soldiers, and pray for the safe return of the hostages still held in Gaza. You can watch the recording of this 10/7 commemoration here: With […]