Last summer after our daughter Meirah’s high school graduation we visited Salzburg, Austria where my mother’s family is from. We saw the...

At the beginning of our family Seder when I was growing up my grandfather used to fill a cup of grape juice and place it in the center of...

Sam is lonely so he goes to buy a bird that talks. But when he brings the bird home, the bird does not stop cursing. At first Sam asks...

Early Zionist Chasidim working the Land of Israel For many of you, this is your first Rosh Hashanah in Israel, and maybe even your first...

In May 1948, 5 Arab armies were poised to invade the new state of Israel. All the Jews had in their arsenal were rifles and machine guns...

The recognition upon his passing of Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski zt’l has already shown us the many facets of his greatness. Over the years...

The Jewish world and the whole world have lost a great teacher and leader, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. Rabbi Sacks was an unparalleled scholar,...

The two renowned Chasidic masters, the brothers Rav Elimelech and Rav Zusha were rounded up with some of the simple folk they used to...

Many of us have childhood memories of a scary scene from a movie. In mine, the hero is trapped in a room with metal walls, and a suddenly...

At the beginning of the Zionist movement in 1903, the British offered the ‘Uganda Plan’, which would have relocated Jews fleeing the...

Passover in Israel during Conovirus has been a unique experience. Unfortunately, thousands of individuals were alone for Seder. Many of...

There are many comic interludes posted online, and humor is an effective outlet in these anxious times. One good post was: “G-d could we...

I have now been in quarantine for six days, and while I have mostly been able to keep my spirits up despite the isolation, there are...

Last week I attended the AIPAC conference in DC, an inspiring three-day gathering of pro-Israel conferences, lobbying, and general...

Four months ago, a friend gave my wife a small sapling kumquat tree as a birthday present. We replanted it into a bigger pot, and every...

Brett Stephens’ recent Op-ed on The Secret of Jewish Genius generated much discussion and controversy. I believe the most important but...

Who is the ‘real’ Jew, the genius scientist, the pious Rabbinic scholar, or the nebby actor? For the early Zionists, it was none of...

Here is the d'var Torah I shared at the service before the dinner (to only 200 people, by the time 1000 young adults were there...

Why Wasn’t Our Family Store Looted on Kristallnacht? This picture shows Nazi soldiers standing in front of the store our family owned and...

Yom Kippur in Tel Aviv is a remarkable experience. You would think that I would say ‘Yom Kippur in Jerusalem is a remarkable experience’,...