March 17, 2023   Shabbat shalom from Israel.   As many of you are aware, I have been in Israel this past week with a UJA Federation-sponsored “mission to Israel,” along with 23 other New York-area rabbis. We arrived late Monday afternoon and parted ways last night. The ostensible purpose … READ MORE

March 10, 2023   As most of you know by now, I am headed to Israel (please God, as they say) on Sunday night on a consolation-prize mission to Israel with UJA-Federation. As I have mentioned in several venues, I think the purpose of the trip is to demonstrate to … READ MORE

February 24, 2023   Earlier this week, we welcomed in Rosh Chodesh Adar, the opening days of the month in which we celebrate the holiday of Purim. The sages famously tell us miShenichnas adar marbim simcha – “when Adar comes in, joy increases!” With the first of the month, we anticipate the … READ MORE

February 10, 2023   There are two disparate things on my mind this week that, together, are taking up a great deal of space in my consciousness. The first is the unspeakable tragedy unfolding in southern Turkey and Syria in the aftermath of the earthquake earlier this week. Under any … READ MORE

February 3, 2023   As most of us aware, EMJC will be celebrating its centennial next year. The synagogue was founded in 1924, and, as Toby Sanchez writes on the website, “the cornerstone of the building was laid on June 13, 1926.” By fall of that year, High Holy Day … READ MORE

January 13, 2023 Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of my trip-to-Israel-that-wasn’t was the missed opportunity to search for, and perhaps catch glimpses of signs for optimism. When I traveled to Israel a few years ago as part of the 5th Qushiyot cohort (which I wrote and spoke about at the time), … READ MORE

December 30, 2022 In a funny coincidence, a couple of weeks ago, two articles came through my email within a 24-hour period. The first, from the Forward newspaper, had the title “Do ‘bad Jews’ really exist? A new book says no.” The article, about a recently published book called ‘Bad … READ MORE

December 2, 2022   As most of you know, I was unable to go on my long-anticipated trip to Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Dubai a few weeks ago because of a bout with Covid. It was a great disappointment, of course. I’m hoping there will be another opportunity next … READ MORE

November 4, 2022   What a busy time we’ve come through!   As a community, as a synagogue, we’ve emerged from a meaningful and rewarding High Holy Day season, a little exhausted perhaps, but enriched and renewed. With barely time to catch our breaths, we (the synagogue) turned around and … READ MORE

September 23, 2022 Friends, As we make our final preparations for Rosh Hashanah, which begins Sunday night, I wanted to share some information about the service this year so you will know what to expect. But first, four important reminders: Your voices add greatly to the service. It is not … READ MORE