In Parashat Beha‘alotekha, the seven-branched menorah is lit for the first time. Note the directions: “When you raise up the lamps, toward the front of the lampstand let the seven lamps give light.” Only when we lift up the lamps, which are the receptacles of the light, will “the seven lamps give light.” The menorah […]
June 18, 2024 His Excellency Mr. Antonio Guterres Secretary General of the United Nations 760 United Nations Plaza New York, NY 10017 Cc: Ms. Pramila Patten Special Representative of the Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Cc: Ms. Sima Sami Bahous Executive Director, UN Women Dear Secretary Guterres: The undersigned 54 organizations are writing […]
‘Open Season’ on Jews – Threats, Vandalism, Protests and Attacks BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – DISPELLING MYTHS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES Anti-Israel and anti-Jewish hatred have reached a fever pitch in the U.S. as attacks become increasingly aggressive and openly violent. Hatred and bigotry are moving out of the shadows and into the daylight […]
This week we celebrate Shavuot and we read Parashat Naso, the weekly reading with the largest number of verses. Despite its considerable length, it teaches us what it means to be “short and to the point” and to practice humility. How so? Parashat Naso includes that threefold benediction, the Priestly Blessing. Why does the blessing […]
Israel Rescues Hostages but World Blames Rescuers BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – DISPELLING MYTHS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES For rescuing its own hostages, Israel is now under attack by the United Nations, international leaders and many anti-Israel voices in America. Israeli commandos launched a meticulously planned operation to free four hostages held by […]
by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD In the spring of 2021, following 11 days of violence between Hamas in Gaza and Israel, President Joe Biden, when asked at a White House press conference if there had been a change in the Democratic Party’s position on Israel, Biden replied, “There is no shift in my commitment to […]
Just what was heard on Mt. Sinai? Our tradition offers several answers: that we heard the Ten Commandments in full, that we heard only the first two Commandments, that we heard only the sound of the first letter, the aleph of Anokhi. The late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks wrote that each person heard something different. […]
Wars Against Evil are Necessary – from D-Day to 10/7 BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES 80th Anniversary of D-Day: ‘Into the jaws of death’ Allied forces launched Operation Overlord, a daring and pivotal assault on Nazi-occupied France, known as D-Day, which was June 6, 1944. As dawn broke over the Normandy […]
by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD Listen to an audio version of this article by clicking here. May was American Jewish Heritage Month, in 2024 celebrating the 370th anniversary of the arrival of permanent Jewish settlers on these shores. In September 1654, 23 Jews fleeing the oppression of the Roman Catholic Inquisition in Portuguese Recife, Brazil, […]
BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES The challenges Israel is facing are increasingly complex in Gaza and on the world stage. Hamas use of civilian neighborhoods and tent encampments to harbor their fighters and missile launchers complicates the ongoing mission to rescue hostages and endangers civilians in Rafah. Despite mounting evidence of […]