As her three-year term as the president of our beloved CTI closes, I want to thank Judy Weiner, and express my deepest gratitude and heartfelt appreciation for her outstanding leadership and unwavering dedication throughout the time. Her steadfast commitment to the growth and prosperity of our synagogue have helped propel it into the future, especially [...]
Over the past few decades, a new initiative toward peace has emerged — Jewish-Christian interfaith pilgrimages to the Holy Land. These inclusive visits to sites holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims lay the groundwork for understanding and acceptance among the travelers and, in a way, serve as test cases for peace in a controlled environment. [...]
My class recently visited “The Sassoons,” an exhibit at the Jewish Museum in Manhattan. Through family photographs, documents, artwork, and textiles, we observed the history and legacy of this prominent and wealthy Jewish family of Iraqi origin. They were known as the “Rothschilds of the East.” It is a family story told through four generations of traders, socialites, [...]
Passover is just a week away — the spring holiday of new beginnings. For Jews, a new beginning always dovetails a previous episode. We are conflicted by hope for the future, and also harsh memories. Passover is one of those memorial days that evokes both, especially due to its proximity to Yom HaShoah, a week later. [...]
It was an exceptionally stormy Monday when we arrived at Ben Gurion Airport on Feb. 6. On our way from the airport to the hotel in Tel Aviv, hail was falling on the windshield of our minibus. Our group of 12 pilgrims, none ever having been to the holy land, were ushered into the country [...]
It had been raining all day last Thursday, but nothing could wash away my excitement. It was my first day back on campus after nearly a decade. The precipitation made me feel like a fish returned to the water. When I started at CTI, I was about to finish a second master’s degree at the [...]
Our rabbis teach us that when we go up to heaven, we are asked a few critical questions. The first one is the most important, and it’s not how often you attended synagogue or church. It’s a question that captures the bottom line of our humanity - “were you honest in business?” On April 3, 1968 Reverend, Dr. [...]
This month, we lost an amazing man — Rabbi Elliott Spar. Elliott was a colleague, a friend, and a mentor. One of his children, Ari Spar, is a member of our shul. For almost four decades, he was the rabbi of the Temple Beth Shalom congregation in Smithtown, the same pulpit for his entire rabbinate. He retired [...]
Last Friday, I returned from Israel with a small group of our congregants. During the trip, we took our time strolling throughout the land. It was a beautiful and intimate experience I am still savoring. Those who travel to Israel for the first time often are surprised to discover how hustling and bustling it is. [...]
Have you noticed that everything is moving faster these days…? A year feels like a month, a month like a week, and a week is a day. It was wonderful seeing everybody on the High Holidays. It was my 11th year celebrating with Congregation Tifereth Israel, but it felt as though we were there just a [...]
