Exactly ten years ago, on July 1, 2012, I began my tenure at CTI. A few days later, on July 4, I moved into the Rabbi’s house. I was feeling somewhat like Abraham, our ancient father, who moved to the land of Canaan and maintained his double status as a ger and a toshav—an alien and a [...]
What do we mean by Jewish continuity? This was the main question in our last session of the “Beyond Dispute” series on pivotal Jewish discourse over the centuries. It happened to coincide with the leaked draft of the Supreme Court’s decision on Roe v. Wade and was a good opportunity to explain Jewish views regarding [...]
Please join me in wishing the State of Israel “Mazal Tov” for its 74th birthday. A breeze of freedom is blowing through this season, from the ancients to modern times. We remember the rescue from Egypt on Passover, a week later the liberation from Nazi claws, and today, the Day of Independence for the State of Israel. We [...]
I don’t watch the Oscars, but the slap that Will Smith wielded to Chris Rock’s face is still reverberating. One could ask if it’s worth dedicating a monthly message to this bygone news. Shouldn’t it be relinquished to the pages of history as a negligible episode, especially against the backdrop of current wars and a global [...]
I’ll always remember where I was when the war in Ukraine started. I was in HEL (airport lingo for the Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport), exactly a month ago. The night before, I was on a connecting flight to Tel Aviv, diverted back to HEL after an hour in the air. After a long wait, the airline [...]
During Black History Month, America remembers the beauty of the African cultures and, at the same time, remembers what was done in the name of race. Just as Jews are sensitive to injustice, so too are Blacks. The racial narrative that often holds superficial external truths, manifested in different skin colors or other physical features, [...]
Two days after the hostage situation at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, the congregation conducted a healing service at a nearby church. The place was full. I watched it live. One of the compelling themes offered by Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, spiritual leader of the congregation, was this: “We are not helpless! No one would be saying [...]
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This African proverb is one of my favorites because it speaks to all of us — families, communities, and countries. It tells us that it takes slowing down to stay together. To wait for the stragglers behind. When the Israelites left [...]
Every year, the Greenport Ecumenical Ministries holds a special service on Veterans’ Day to honor our veterans and other civil servants. This year, the service was expanded to honor and thank our essential workers — the North Fork Heroes of the Pandemic. The event took place at the First Presbyterian Church of Southold on Sunday, Nov. [...]
It was a week before Rosh Hashanah, and we were still assigning aliyot to the Torah and other honors. It is a big honor to open the Ark on Rosh Hashanah, like opening the gate of heaven. We pack all our prayers in and then send them off throughout the High Holidays, all the way [...]
