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# MERCAZ - The Movement to Reaffirm Conservative Zionism, Inc. (“MERCAZ USA”)

The Zionist Organization of the Conservative Movement

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://www.mercazusa.org/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [MERCAZ News](https://www.mercazusa.org/news/mercaz-news/)
- [MERCAZ USA Welcomes Rabbi Loren Sykes as New Executive Director](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/08/mercazusawelcomesrabbilorensykesasnewexecutivedirector080726/) - Release Date: August 7, 2026 MERCAZ USA Welcomes New Executive Director: Rabbi Loren Sykes It is with great excitement that I share with you that our new Executive Director, Rabbi Loren Sykes, begins his tenure with MERCAZ USA today, August 7, 2026! The hiring of Rabbi Sykes comes after an extensive interview process, which was
- [Torah for this Hour | August 6, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/08/torahforthishour080626/) - The Road (Not) Taken “I have set before you this day… a blessing and a curse.” On this Shabbat Mevarekhim, the Shabbat when we offer a blessing for the new month ahead, the Torah reminds us that our journey in the world is not a predetermined destination, but rather an open invitation to choose our
- [‘Blame the Jews’: From Genocide to the Weather](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/08/focusblamethejewsgenocidetotheweather080426/) - August 4, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – VOICES – STORIES Antisemites Worldwide Grow More Brazen in Public and Online Attacks Hatred against Jews has moved from hateful words into violent action – in the U.S. and around the world – where Jews are blamed for everything from genocide to
- [Failing Promise to Keep NY Jews Safe](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/07/focusfailingpromisetokeepnyjewssafe072826/) - July 28, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – VOICES – STORIES Mamdani is Fixated on Israel while Jews are Hate Crime Targets in NYC President Trump is hosting Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House – the same leader that NYC Mayor Mamdani has spent more than a year
- [Torah for this Hour | July 23, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/07/torahforthishour072326/) - Who Wants The Elephant In The Room? Don’t think of an elephant right now. And just like that, an image of Dumbo flies across your mind’s eye! Can I control what I’m not thinking? And if I can’t, am I being set up to fail? These are core theological questions behind each of the laws
- [The Jewish People Stand Despite Adversity](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/07/focusjewishpeoplestanddespiteadversity072126/) - July 21, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – VOICES – STORIES The Jewish People Stand, Despite Historic and Current Efforts to Destroy Them With attacks on Jews worldwide and the State of Israel reaching a fever pitch, the Jewish people commemorate Tisha B’Av – a solemn time that has combined many catastrophes
- [Torah for this Hour | July 16, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/07/torahforthishour071626/) - What is most Precious On May 17, 1977, Menachem Begin was elected Prime Minister, ending 29 years of uninterrupted Labor rule in what became known as “The Revolution” (Ha-Mahapakh). When the results were announced, Begin entered Likkud headquarters to the cheers of his supporters. Taking a kippah from his pocket, he recited the Sheheḥeyanu blessing
- [Candidates Call to Imprison ‘Zionists’](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/07/focuscandidatescalltoimprisonzionists071426/) - July 14, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – VOICES – STORIES Where Criticizing Israel Ends and Hating Jews Begins An American politician considering a run for president recently leveled harsh criticism against Israel’s government while still supporting the U.S.-Israel alliance. Rahm Emanuel – President Obama’s Jewish chief of staff –
- [Torah for this Hour | July 9, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/07/torahforthishour070926/) - Rightful Heirs In memory of my mother, my teacher, Rina bat Rachma (Gabi), at the conclusion of the first 30 days of mourning. At the conclusion of the book of Numbers, the issue of the daughters of Tzelopheḥad, this time due to the concern of their relatives about the potential loss of part of the
- [Jews Stand United in Sports](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/07/focusjewsstandunitedinsports070726/) - July 7, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – U.S. 250th – STORIES Jews Answer Hatred With Pride and Unity Through Sports Much of America and the globe is captivated by the World Cup games – still underway. One of today’s biggest stars on the field – Norway’s captain Erling Haaland – made
- [Torah for this Hour | July 2, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/07/torahforthishour070226/) - Common Ground: Our Place in History, Our Place on Earth I recently visited “Ezrat Yisrael,” the egalitarian section of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. As an Israeli tour guide, I have had hundreds of opportunities to stand on the Roman stones below and share stories about the Jews who walked there 2,000 years ago —
- [July 4: America’s Jewish Roots](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/06/focusjuly4americasjewishroots063026/) - June 30, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – VOICES – STORIES Jewish Values Helped Build America This Fourth of July, America turns 250 – and despite world events and domestic tensions, Jewish Americans have many reasons to feel proud. The values that make this nation great – freedom, hard work,
- [Torah for this Hour | June 24, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/06/torahforthishour062426/) - Excommunicating Extremism The seed from which has sprouted the Jewish extremism that legitimates Jewish terrorism in Judea and Samaria is to be found, in many ways, at the end of this week’s parasha. Phinehas (Pinḥas) takes a spear in hand and appoints himself prosecutor, judge, and executioner all in one. How, then, does that extreme
- [Iran: Rewarded, Not Defeated](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/06/focusiranrewardednotdefeated062326/) - June 23, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – VOICES – STORIES A Rewarded Regime and an Unfinished Fight The Iranian regime that seized American hostages, murdered U.S. Marines and remains committed to destroying Israel stands to receive sanctions relief, unfrozen assets and hundreds of billions in cash if a final
- [Torah for this Hour | June 18, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/06/torahforthishour061826/) - Masorti: Diversity at the Center Last week, I took part in an unusual journey with the Gladstein Fellows, participants in a program at The Jewish Theological Seminary for developing entrepreneurial leadership for small communities, along with leaders of Masorti Olami. Twelve rabbis came from the US, along with lay leaders and donors. We set out
- [Jews Worldwide Blamed for Israeli Actions](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/06/focusjewsworldwideblamedforisraeliactions061626/) - June 16, 2026 Iran War Update The U.S. and Iran have reached a deal to end nearly four months of war, with a formal signing set for June 19 in Switzerland. The agreement calls for an end to fighting on all fronts, including between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon and for the Strait of Hormuz
- [Torah for this Hour | June 11, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/06/torahforthishour061126/) - Responsibility Stands at the Center On June 15, 1970, an event took place that is known as “Operation Wedding.” A group of Jews and their friends attempted to steal an airplane to fly it out of the Soviet Union to Israel. The attempt failed. Perhaps it was doomed to failure from the beginning. The participants
- [The $400 Billion Qatar Question](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/06/focus400billionqatarquestion060926/) - June 9, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Qatar Buys Its Way into American Schools, Businesses and Politics As the winds of war have stilled – at least for the moment – the Middle East remains roiled in conflict between Iran and its proxies and the Jewish
- [Torah for this Hour | June 4, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/06/torahforthishour060426/) - The Light We Reflect We read at the beginning of Parashat B’ha’alotcha: “'Speak to Aaron and say to him, 'When you mount the lamps, let the seven lamps give light at the front of the lampstand [menorah].” ~ Numbers 8:2 The seven-branched menorah is the quintessential Jewish symbol, older even than the Star of David.
- [Iran Ignites the Fire, Blames Israel](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/06/focusiranignitesfireblamesisrael060226/) - June 2, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Iran’s War on America and Israel Runs Through Hezbollah President Trump announced a ceasefire in Lebanon on June 1, but Iran-backed Hezbollah launched more attacks against Israel three hours later. Hezbollah has continued firing rockets at northern Israel throughout this ceasefire
- [Torah for this Hour | May 28, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/05/torahforthishour052826/) - Seeking Psalms on the Radio ... Songs of yearning for peace used to fill the Israeli airwaves from the 1950’s through the 90’s. No longer. We have new songs of sacrifice, of patriotism, and of love, but not of peace. Discussion of military defense, especially after October 7th, makes sense. But absent from our consciousness
- [Evidence vs. Lies: Which Made Headlines?](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/05/focusevidencevslieswhichmadeheadlines052626/) - May 26, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – JAHM – STORIES Narrative War on Sexual Violence: False Claims and Double Standards Within 24 hours, two reports of sexual violence were published. One was backed by 430 testimonies, 10,000 photos, 1,800 hours of video – many taken by the perpetrators –
- [Hatred of Jewish Students – Still Present, but Mutated](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/05/focushatredofjewishstudentsstillpresentbutmutated051926/) - May 19, 2026 We strongly condemn the deadly attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego. The neo-Nazi ideology and hate speech that drove this violence threatens us all. STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – JAHM – STORIES Some Universities Begin Acting Against Anti-Jewish Hate The encampments have vanished from most
- [Kotel Legislation Update: We Need Your Help Now](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/05/kotellegislationupdate051826/) - Kotel Legislation Update: Call To Action May 18, 2026 Again and again, including during the recent war with Iran and Hezbollah, you have demonstrated your support for and commitment to the Jewish State. Following the ceasefire, political machinations have continued and we are writing to inform you about important developments regarding the coalition’s Kotel Legislation,
- [Torah for this Hour | May 14, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/05/torahforthishour051426/) - “You are not obligated to complete the task, but neither are you free to desist from it.” ~ Mishnah Avot 2:16 For three years, our country has been going through a profound shakeup: the threat to its democratic character, and then harsh wars — not only at our nearby borders, but rather a continuing campaign
- [Abe Foxman: The Giant We Lost](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/05/focusabefoxmanthegiantwelost051226/) - May 12, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – JAHM – STORIES Abraham Foxman: Esteemed American Leader Provided Moral Clarity Holocaust survivor, American immigrant and the face of Jewish civil rights for a generation – Abraham “Abe” Foxman passed away on May 10 at the age of 86. For nearly three
- [Torah for this Hour | May 7, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/05/torahforthishour050726/) - Every Breath We Take In tough times we ask, “How can we go on while the world trembles?” With each breath we take, there is a quiet invitation to bring the Divine Spirit into our lives. We learn to choose—not to be drawn in by every dark thought, but instead to turn away from it
- [Pushback on Hate Can Work](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/05/focuspushbackonhatecanwork050526/) - May 5, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – JAHM – STORIES Communities Push Back on Hate, Start Making Impact Governments in the UK, Australia and Canada are struggling to keep pace with increasing anti-Jewish hate – leading to attacks against Jews for simply being Jews. Antisemitism is no longer an
- [Torah for this Hour | May 4, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/05/torahforthishour050426/) - The Holiness of Intent We conclude the morning Tachanun prayers with a beautiful melody and the words “Protect the Holy People … Israel.” Does the text indeed indicate that there is something inherently “Holy” about Jews? According to many rabbis the sin of Korach and his fellow conspirators is that they considered themselves inherently “holy”
- [Jewish Students in America Still Hiding](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/04/focusjewishstudentsstillhiding042826/) - April 28, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – JAHM – STORIES Silent Crisis: Jewish Students Still Hiding on Campus The anti-Israel protests and encampments on campuses have largely dissipated, but for Jewish students, faculty and staff across America – fear and intimidation have not. While the visible chaos of large-scale
- [Commemorating Loss, Celebrating Liberty](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/04/focuscommemoratinglosscelebratingliberty042126/) - April 21, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – VOICES – STORIES From Loss to Liberty: Israel Commemorates Its Fallen and Celebrates 78 Years In Israel, the distance between grief and independence is measured in one second. As the sun sets, the somber remembrance of Memorial Day transforms instantly into the
- [Torah for this Hour | April 16, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/04/torahforthishour041626/) - From Memorial to Remembrance, Day to Day, Between Zachor and Yizkor I wonder. What do I remember? What will we recall? The Midrash (Sifra, Behukotai) says: “How, then, do I fulfill ‘Remember’? - That you utter it with your mouth.” Repeat with your mouth - alter with your mouth. “Alter”, make “other” - make an
- [Holocaust Memories Fading, Lies Rising](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/04/focusholocaustmemoriesfadingliesrising041426/) - April 14, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES Never Again Means Now: Holocaust Memory Under Siege April 14: Holocaust & Heroism Remembrance Day The living survivors and liberators to the Holocaust – one of history’s greatest crimes against humanity – are passing away, silencing the few voices left to
- [Wikipedia Editors are Rewriting Reality](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/04/focuswikipediaeditorsrewritingreality040726/) - April 7, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER Who Controls What We Believe? Wikipedia and AI Alter Reality Wikipedia is one of the most trusted sources of information in the world – and it is consistently manipulated. What appears to be neutral, crowdsourced knowledge often is shaped by a small number
- [A Passover Message from MERCAZ USA's President](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/03/passovermessage2026/) - On behalf of the leadership of MERCAZ USA, we wish you and your families a Chag Kasher V'sameach. The Hagaddah reminds us each year that it is our task to feel as if we ourselves experienced the exodus from Egypt and were taken from slavery to freedom. Sadly our world continues to be one in
- [Passover’s New Villain: Iran](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/03/focuspassoversnewvillainiran033126/) - March 31, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Passover: Freedom Still Has a Steep Price “Why is this night different from all other nights?” Jews ask at every Passover Seder. This year, the answer is not symbolic – it is real, immediate and still unfolding. From rocket
- [Torah for this Hour | March 26, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/03/torahforthishour032626/) - These and These We read in the Babylonian Talmud: "For three years the House of Shammai and the House of Hillel debated [a matter of ritual purity]. These said, “The law is according to our position," and these said, "The law is according to our position." A divine voice came and said, "These and these
- [Left, Right, Islamist: Same Anti-Jewish Hate](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/03/focusleftrightislamistsameantijewishhate032426/) - March 24, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Ancient Hate Fuels Today’s Anti-Jewish Violence Anti-Jewish narratives have boiled over from fringe spaces and online chat rooms to political campaigns and public conversations – without shame or constraint. Vile and violent antisemitic messages are spewing from across the
- [Torah for this Hour | March 19, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/03/torahforthishour031926/) - An Antidote to Fear Parashat Vayyikra begins with the words “And He called to Moses ...” Rashi defines the verb vayyikra, “He called,” as a term of affection, closeness, and love. This call is heard from within the mishkan, the traveling Tabernacle, a place built after the great crisis of the golden calf, perhaps as
- [Jews in the Crosshairs: Synagogues, Daycares, Schools](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/03/focusjewsinthecrosshairs031726/) - March 17, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS The War Comes Home: Jewish Communities Under Attack An Islamist terrorist rammed a truck filled with fireworks and chemicals into a Michigan synagogue’s main entrance before exchanging gunfire with security. Armed guards at Temple Israel stopped the attacker from
- [Torah for This Hour | Reflections on War and Peace](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/03/torahforthishourreflectionsonwarandpeace031526/) - “A time for war and a time for peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:8 Why a time for war now? A long history binds Jews and Persians together: from Cyrus, who Isaiah called “the Lord’s anointed,” to the days of the Amoraim and the Geonim. Modern Iran and Israel have no inherent reason to fight: they share no
- [Extremists Falsely Blame Jews for Iran War](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/03/focusextremistsfalselyblamejewsforiranwar031026/) - March 10, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – VOICES – STORIES Week 2 of the Iran War | Myths and Libels America and Israel are currently fighting against the Iranian regime on behalf of much of the world; Iran has murdered or maimed civilians from Bulgaria to France and from
- [The Iran War Actually Began in 1979](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/03/focusiranwarbeganin1979030326/) - March 3, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Iran has Waged 47 Years of Aggression Against America Decades of Iranian Hostility Against the United States The U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran’s terrorist regime followed decades of Iranian attacks on Americans and an escalating risk to U.S. civilians,
- [At This Time ... Unity and Responsibility](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/03/atthistimeunityresponsibility030126/) - March 1, 2026 With war now underway in Israel, our focus is squarely on supporting those in Israel under attack, as we also hold in our thoughts civilians and US and IDF troops in harm’s way. We wish healing to those injured, we mourn those who have been killed in the past day and extend
- [Torah for this Hour | February 26, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/02/torahforthishour022626/) - Between Fate and Destiny The book of Esther turns fate into destiny. The pur, the cast lot, along with powerful forces influence our lives. There is so much of which we have no control. What will be? We do not know. However, there are moments when, if we are present and feel God’s presence within
- [Protect the Egalitarian Kotel: Take Action Today!](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/02/protecttheegalitariankotel022526/) - SIGN THE PETITION! February 25, 2026 On the morning of February 25, the Knesset advanced legislation that strikes at the heart of Jewish unity and religious pluralism. The bill would transfer authority over all prayer at the Kotel to the ultra-Orthodox Chief Rabbinate, criminalize religious services that do not conform to its standards, and effectively dismantle
- [Who Really Influences What We Believe?](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/02/focuswhoreallyinfluenceswhatwebelieve022426/) - February 24, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Lies Spread Faster Than Truth: Iran, Qatar, Hamas and Carlson As the U.S. military masses its largest military presence in the Middle East in more than 20 years, Iran is waging a parallel information war aimed at destabilizing Western
- [A Declaration Of War On World Jewry](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/02/declarationofwaronworldjewry022426/) - Mandating jail for egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall would shatter the fragile covenant between Israel and the Jewish communities that sustain it This article originally appeared in the Times of Israel on February 24, 2026 Conservative/Masorti Movement leaders praying at the Egalitarian Kotel in October 2025 (photo: MERCAZ Olami) The past week has been
- [Torah for this Hour | February 19, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/02/torahforthishour021926/) - We Are the Instrument Where God Dwells Whoever experiences the weekly parashah as the beating heart of the Jewish tribe knows that this week marks a sharp and surprising pivot. After the thunder and lightning of the Sinai revelation, the Torah suddenly seeks out wooden boards, spans of cloth and skins of the enigmatic teḥashim.
- [Who Funnels Billions into U.S. Universities?](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/02/focuswhofunnelsbillionsintousuniversities021726/) - February 17, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Qatar, Charities and Campus Activists Fuel Dangerous Lies Qatar Funds American Universities and Promotes Hate The Qatari government contributed $1.1 billion in funding to American universities in 2025, according to new U.S. Dept. of Education data. Over the years, it has
- [Torah for this Hour | February 12, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/02/torahforthishour021226/) - Songs and Stars When I was a girl in France, I discovered Mati Caspi's songs, which became the threads that wove my connections to Eretz Yisrael. His words were the first ones in modern Hebrew that I wanted to understand, and his melodies charmed me — and stay with me even now. "How can it
- [Hate Shouldn’t Get a Touchdown](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/02/focushateshouldntgetatouchdown021026/) - February 10, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Exposing Hate: A Super Bowl Ad and an Israeli Olympic Team Sports events are intended to be where politics can be set aside and shared values, grit and teamwork take center stage. Events like the Super Bowl and the
- [Torah for this Hour | February 5, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/02/torahforthishour020526/) - An End and A Reckoning At the end of the day on which Ran Gvili z”l was returned to Israel, I came home and took off the yellow ribbon I had worn for two years and three months. Not ceremoniously, and without a prayer. I simply took it off. I did not feel relief, nor
- [Jews Face Hostility in Hospitals and Schools](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/02/focusjewsfacehostilityinhospitalsandschools020326/) - February 3, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Jewish Doctors, Patients, Teachers and Students Face Rising Hostility A growing number of medical professionals, teachers and local labor leaders are tolerating conduct that has made workplaces hostile for Jewish patients, students and employees. Documented cases – including discrimination
- [Torah for this Hour | January 29, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/01/torahforthishour012926/) - A Song for Tu B'Shvat “When you come into the land, you shall plant every tree first / and the tree shall yield its fruit and the land its produce / a time to plant trees, a time to plant and to build.” (Popular Hebrew song for Tu B’Shvat) A time to plant and to
- [All of the Hostages are Home](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/01/allofthehostagesarehome012626/) - All of the hostages are home. Those are words we feared we would never have the chance to say. And now, finally, after 843 days we say again, all of the hostages are home. Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, z”l, whose body was the final one still held in Gaza, was located yesterday in a mass
- [Holocaust Ignorance Risks Repeating History](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/01/focusholocaustignorancerisksrepeatinghistory012726/) - January 27, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Holocaust Remembrance Is Under Threat International Holocaust Remembrance Day honors the 6 million Jews murdered by Nazi Germany and confronts the historical realities of the Holocaust. Amid alarming trends, this commemorative day preserves historical truth in the face of
- [Torah for this Hour | January 22, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/01/torahforthishour012226/) - Boundaries, Not Walls A people is born! Tens of thousands of slaves are called to demonstrate: to slaughter a lamb, to smear its blood on the doorway of their home, and to roast it whole. This action is also an expression of their readiness to leave their familiar home and set off for the unknown
- [Dr. King’s Pro-Jewish Legacy Is Under Attack](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/01/focusdrkingprojewishlegacyunderattack012026/) - January 20, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Activists Distort Civil Rights to Justify Anti-Jewish Hatred On the day that honors the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., some anti-Israel activists have exploited his memory to promote their own political agendas – many that
- [Torah for this Hour | January 15, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/01/torahforthishour011526/) - The Never Ending Story The Jewish tradition, to me, is a living, breathing path — not a closed book but rather the setting for an ongoing discussion. The tradition is not a canonized collection of answers, but a living, ever-renewing journey. Even as far back as the Torah, we encounter creativity: interpretation, debate, and moral
- [Scapegoating Jews as a Political Strategy](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/01/focusscapegoatingjewsasapoliticalstrategy011326/) - January 13, 2026 BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS From Tehran to Times Square: ‘Blame the Zionists’ Goes Global A dangerous narrative is accelerating worldwide in the wake of deadly repression in Iran, fever-pitch political activism and rising violence against Jewish communities. World leaders, activists and influencers are increasingly
- [Torah for this Hour | January 8, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/01/torahforthishour010826/) - Strong Identities, Strength in Diversity The Torah teaches us the principle that it is great "to love your neighbor as yourself." This teaching emphasizes mutual affection and respect and is essential for fostering a truly diverse society. Strengthening our personal identities through the lens of religious faith plays a vital role in this process. Religious
- [Mamdani’s First Moves Are Raising Alarms](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/01/focusmamdanisfirstmovesareraisingalarms010626/) - January 6, 2026 BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS NYC Mayor Mamdani’s First Moves: Rolling Back Protections for Jews The newly elected NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s early actions have heightened fears that protections against antisemitism are being weakened as hostility toward Jews escalates. New York City is home to
- [Torah for this Hour | January 1, 2026](https://www.mercazusa.org/2026/01/torahforthishour010126/) - A Time of Transition Between Light and Bloom Between candles that burn out and the light that remains in the heart, Winter stands halfway along its path, and the imprint of Hanukkah still drifts across the windows. Yet already the pulse of a new soil is heard: the buds of Tu BiShvat whisper beneath the
- [What Made 2025 Impossible to Ignore](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/12/focuswhatmade2025impossibletoignore123025/) - December 30, 2025 BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Hope but Vigilance for the Jewish Community in 2026 The Jewish community enters the new year with renewed clarity and determination despite the significant and deadly challenges faced in 2025. This past year has stripped away any remaining illusions: anti-Jewish
- [Torah for this Hour | December 25, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/12/torahforthishour122525/) - This is The Way (?) ... "Something within you will tell you: Continue ... on your way." Have you ever been asked, "What does it mean to be a Conservative Jew?" Since my path crossed and merged with the Masorti (Conservative) movement decades ago, I have been asked this question frequently. One of my teachers
- [Choosing Light in a Time of Darkness](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/12/focuschoosinglightinatimeofdarkness122325/) - December 23, 2025 BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – VOICES – STORIES Communities Choose Courage Amid Escalating Hate This Holiday Season As more than 2 billion Christians around the world celebrate Christmas and billions more celebrate their own winter holidays, extremist rhetoric and violent attacks have caused heightened security, canceled events and
- [Torah for this Hour | December 18, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/12/torahforthishour121825/) - Hanukkah: Agony, Peoplehood, and Promise Megillat Antiochus, recounting the Hanukkah story, tells of the Seleucid decree to ban Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, and circumcision. This was intended to weaken the Jews and punish them for following their distinctive ways. Those practices are portrayed as the foundation of the Jewish people. Circumcision and Shabbat express peoplehood and
- [Jewish Light and Life Targeted During Hanukkah](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/12/focusjewishlightandlifetargetedduringhanukkah121625/) - December 16, 2025 BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – VOICES – STORIES Hanukkah Under Fire: Gunned Down for Jewish Identity Hanukkah is the story of the Jewish people who refused to abandon their identity, faith and history in the face of persecution. From ancient Jerusalem to the present day, the lighting of
- [MERCAZ USA Stands with the Jewish Community of Australia](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/12/mercazusastatementbondibeachattack121425/) - MERCAZ USA Statement on the Bondi Beach Terrorist Attack Our hearts are broken by the horrific act of antisemitic terrorism in Bondi Beach, Australia, which has left at least 11 innocents dead and at least 29 injured - at the very moment we are meant to celebrate the triumph of light against overwhelming darkness by
- [Torah for this Hour | December 11, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/12/torahforthishour121125/) - Rising to the Challenge of Mighty Waters In the Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat service we hear the words: “the thunder of the mighty waters”, describing God’s greatness. Beyond the sound of the "mighty waters" and the “breakers of the sea" … "YHWH is majestic on high" (Ps. 93:4). But when I hear these words I
- [Safe Spaces for Jews: Targets for Violence](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/12/focussafespacesforjewstargetsforviolence120925/) - December 9, 2025 BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Safe Spaces for Jews Become Targets for Violence Jews are being targeted in the very places they gather to feel safest. Recent attacks at synagogues in Los Angeles, New York and Manchester, England, now join the wave of assaults on
- [Torah for this Hour | December 4, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/12/torahforthishour120425/) - Lift Your Eyes ... From Your Screen “I will praise God with my life.” - Psalms 146:2 Not only prayer or mitzvot — life itself can be an act of praise. I think of this every Sunday when my iPhone tells me how much time I spent staring at its screen in the week prior.
- [Identity Tests Target Jews](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/12/focusidentityteststargetjews120225/) - December 2, 2025 BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Purity Tests Target Jewish Identity to Segregate Jews A growing number of Jews are being told they may only eat at certain restaurants, participate in organizations and even attend a soccer game if they abandon a core element of their
- [Torah for this Hour | November 27, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/11/torahforthishour112725/) - The Language of Your Soul In the coming weeks, each weekly parasha begins with a dream. During the month of Kislev (in the northern hemisphere) we experience a decline in our energies, and lights. We withdraw inward. The external hibernates; the internal awakens. One of the characteristics of human consciousness (as opposed to AI) is
- [Jews Told to ‘Be Scared’ Outside Synagogue](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/11/focusjewstoldtobescaredoutsidesynagogue112525/) - November 25, 2025 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Anti-Israel Protesters Aggressively Target Jews at Synagogue ‘We need to make them scared’ – Protesters Chant Outside Synagogue Anti-Israel protestors in the hundreds recently shouted hateful slogans outside a historic house of worship in NYC, threatening Jews who tried
- [Torah for this Hour | November 20, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/11/torahforthishour112025/) - The Main Thing Is ... To Hope “Optimism and hope are not the same. Optimism is the belief that the world is changing for the better; hope is the belief that, together, we can make the world better.” ~ Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, To Heal a Fractured World (page 166) Rabbi Sacks’ words, said years
- [Wildfire of Words: Dangerous Rhetoric Spreads](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/11/focuswildfireofwordsdangerousrhetoricspreads111825/) - November 18, 2025 BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Anti-Jewish Rhetoric: Fringe Narratives Reenter American Discourse Overt hatred of Jews is now being mainstreamed from both the left and the right. A dangerous spike in right-wing antisemitism – once confined to fringe corners of the internet – has now
- [Torah for this Hour | November 13, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/11/torahforthishour111325/) - Now, you are to take exceeding care for yourselves [le-nafshoteikhim] … or as Robert Alter renders the clause, “And you shall be very watchful for yourselves” (Deut. 4:15). With these words Moses warns the Israelites against worshipping idols, the work of human hands. Over time, the Sages broadened the mitzvah of self-care, which may be
- [You voted MERCAZ ... So what happened at the Congress?](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/11/wzcyouvotedmercazwhathappenedatthecongress111125/) - MERCAZ/Masorti was proud to bring our largest ever delegation to the 39th World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem, and that team made its voice heard in historic and impactful ways that will shape Israel and the Jewish world for years to come. MERCAZ USA had 20 delegates (15 of whom are members of our board) and
- [Echoes of History: Why Words Are Still Dangerous](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/11/focusechoesofhistorywhywordsarestilldangerous111125/) - November 11, 2025 BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Dangerous Rhetoric Can Incite Violence, Shatter Lives Hate is being given a free pass far too often. Once confined to the margins, hatred now finds acceptance in public life. For Jews, that normalization has already turned deadly and the rising
- [Torah for this Hour | November 6, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/11/torahforthishour110625/) - We Await the Rainy Season, and Healing Last week, here in Israel, we began to pray for God to “give us dew and rain to bless the earth” in our daily Amidah. We now find ourselves, after a long, hot summer, waiting for the Yoreh, the first rain of the season — a rain that
- [Free Speech or Free Pass on Anti-Jewish Hate?](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/11/focusfreespeechorfreepass110425/) - November 4, 2025 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Free Speech or Free Pass on Hate? Heritage Foundation Controversy The Comments That Sparked a Firestorm The president of one of the nation’s most influential conservative policy organizations released a statement defending his ties to conservative media firebrands Tucker Carlson
- [Torah for this Hour | October 30, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/10/torahforthishour103025/) - Seeing Hagar, expelled and wandering, encounters a messenger/manifestation of God, who promises her a son who will thrive. She exclaims: “You God of Seeing!” and adds “Have I actually gone on seeing here, after his seeing me?” Is this just surprise at surviving the encounter? Or has she also learned something? Harold Kushner suggests she
- [When Leaders Excuse Hate, Jewish Safety Endangered](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/10/focusleadersexcusehatejewishsafetyendangered102825/) - October 28, 2025 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS When Anti-Jewish Hate Becomes Routine, Rhetoric Replaces Responsibility Gunshots rang out and moments later 11 American Jews lay murdered in their Pittsburgh synagogue. Now, seven years after the deadliest massacre of Jews in the U.S., hate against the American
- [What we’re fighting for at this Zionist Congress](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/10/wzc2025whatwerefightingfor102325/) - October 28-30, 2025, MERCAZ delegates will participate in the 39th World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem. They will be the voice of millions of Masorti/Conservative Jews around the world in shaping how the Jewish world’s largest institutions - WZO, KKL/JNF, the Jewish Agency, and Keren HaYesod - will work to shape Israel’s and the Jewish people’s
- [Torah for this Hour | October 23, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/10/torahforthishour102325/) - “From the darkness, we plead — to arise tomorrow morning and start again from ‘In the beginning.’” ~ from a popular song by the late Israeli songwriter Naomi Shemer Over the past two weeks, we have finally been privileged to witness the return to Israel from Gaza of the remaining living hostages. Not all of
- [Fighting Anti-Jewish Hatred in Schools](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/10/focusfightingantijewishhatredinschools102125/) - October 21, 2025 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER Protecting Students, Confronting Hate: California’s Step Toward Improving Unbiased Education Most teachers in America remain deeply committed to helping students think critically. The U.S. public education system has always been held to high standards and played an important role for generations of students. However, troubling
- [MERCAZ | World Zionist Congress Update](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/10/mercazworldzionistcongressupdate102025/) - Join our Congress Updates WhatsApp group! The last few days have been some of the most emotional and memorable in Israel’s history. The return of our living hostages and the first steps towards an end of this war and historic change in the region is not only a tremendous moment for Israel. While much remains
- [Hostages Freed, Hope Renewed](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/10/focushostagesfreedhoperenewed101425/) - October 14, 2025 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Jubilation: The Return of Israel’s Living Hostages Every living Israeli hostage seized on Oct. 7 has been freed from Gaza to the jubilation of the nation. Families torn apart by terror are embracing once more, marking a moment of
- [Hostages Released. Balancing our Joy and Mourning.](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/10/hostagesreleasedbalancingjoyandmourning101325/) - הוֹד֣וּ לַיהֹוָ֣ה כִּי־ט֑וֹב כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ Give thanks to God for God is good; God’s steadfast love is eternal Psalm 136:1 A Message from Rabbi Hillel Skolnik, President, MERCAZ USA These sacred words, chanted multiple times this morning as we mark the final day of Sukkot, were expressed with extra gratitude and thanks as we
- [Praying for the Hostages and Peace](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/10/prayingforthehostagesandpeace100925/) - A Thought Before Shabbat from MERCAZ USA's President Rabbi Hillel Skolnik For two years, we have prayed, we have hoped, we have shouted, we have begged, we have demanded, and we have wished for all of the hostages to be brought home from Gaza and for God’s canopy of peace to once again be our
- [20 Hostages, 20 Stories, 2 Years in Gaza](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/10/focus20hostages20stories2yearsingaza100525/) - October 5, 2025 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS The Final Hostages: Hidden, Not Forgotten Negotiators for Israel and Hamas were poised for indirect negotiations to release the hostages and end the war in Gaza, as this edition of The Focus Project was set for publication. The talks
- [Hamas' Choice: Disarm or Be Destroyed](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/09/focushamaschoicedisarmorbedestroyed093025/) - September 30, 2025 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS America’s Plan, Hamas’ Choice and the World’s Response The war in Gaza has entered a pivotal moment. For decades, American and Israeli peace efforts have been met with rejection and violence. A new U.S. proposal now puts an ultimatum
- [5786: A New Year's Message from MERCAZ USA](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/09/newyearsmessagefrommercazusa092225/) - As we begin a new Jewish year, we must be hopeful that we will be blessed with the strength and determination needed to work together on the causes that are so near and dear to our hearts. We are buoyed by the fact that MERCAZ nearly doubled its vote for the forthcoming Zionist Congress and
- [Torah for this Hour | September 18, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/09/torahforthishour091825/) - With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility The month of Elul is devoted to rethinking, to questioning the path we have been on — that is, to teshuva. The past two years, as a result of the war and the process of social fissure, and as the truth of the dreams we had dreamed about ourselves
- [Violence Is NOT Debate](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/09/focusviolenceisnotdebate091625/) - September 16, 2025 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Reject Violence: Defend Debate, Protect Democracy Disagreement should invite debate – not violence. Intimidation, dehumanization and threats create the conditions for physical attacks. Silencing and demonizing opposing views have become normalized. The risks are great for our entire society
- [Torah for this Hour | September 11, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/09/torahforthishour091125/) - Religious Ritual Requires of us Ethical Behavior This week’s parasha opens with the bringing of first fruits (bikkurim) to the Temple and the statement made by the person who brings them. That statement is what is read and expounded at the beginning of the Passover Haggadah, where the verses serve to summarize the history of
- [Terror Strikes Jerusalem Ahead of 9/11 Anniversary](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/09/focusterrorstrikesjerusalemaheadof911anniversary090925/) - September 9, 2025 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS ‘Resistance’ Never Justifies Murdering Civilians A morning rush hour in Jerusalem turned into carnage when two Palestinian terrorists from the West Bank opened fire at a busy bus stop. In less than a minute, six Israelis were murdered and more than a dozen
- [Torah for this Hour | September 4, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/09/torahforthishour090425/) - A Revolution In Mentality ... “When you come into the land …” — The transition from wandering in the wilderness to life in a settled land requires a change in lifestyle and in outlook. Moving from the life of a persecuted minority to that of an independent people on our own land requires a revolution
- [False Genocide Claims Put Jews in Danger](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/09/focusfalsegenocideclaimsputjewsindanger090325/) - September 3, 2025 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Genocide Lies Against Israel Distort Truth and Endanger Jews The accusation of genocide against the Jewish state is being used as a moral weapon. It is not just a false legal claim – the explosive yet deceptive charge is
- [Torah for this Hour | August 28, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/08/torahforthishour082825/) - Pursuing Justice ... During War Anyone who has become engaged to a woman but not yet married her, or who has built a house but not yet moved into it, or who has planted a vineyard but not yet harvested even the first grapes, or even anyone too timid to fight — all of these
- [Why “Boycott Israel” Really Means “Boycott Jews”](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/08/focuswhyboycottisraelmeansboycottjews082625/) - August 26, 2025 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Demonization, Exclusion and Hate: The True Face of BDS The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement is dedicated to the destruction of the Jewish state – and by extension, fuels attacks on Jews everywhere. The anti-Israel movement also has branded
- [Torah for this Hour | August 21, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/08/torahforthishour082125/) - Tikkun Ha’adam - Fixing Ourselves As we enter a 40-day period of introspection that culminates with Yom Kippur, we should look inward towards our soul, before we try to fix the world, our country and our families. Rav Yitz Greenberg describes this process as tikkun haadam, the fixing of ourselves. This process is based on
- [Pass or Fail? How Schools Treat Jewish Students](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/08/focuspassorfailhowschoolstreatjewishstudents081925/) - August 19, 2025 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS When Schools Flunk the Basics: Keeping Jews Safe Many Jewish students and staff – both at K-12 schools and on university campuses – were targets of threats, intimidation and violence since Oct. 7, 2023 – leading to lawsuits, funding
- [Torah for this Hour | August 14, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/08/torahforthishour081425/) - The Meaning of Affliction: Our Footprints in the Sand Our path right now is not an easy one, and no light is yet visible on the horizon. Is there a point, a purpose to all the pain and misery? Is there a meaning to this war, to the horrific losses? In this week’s Torah portion,
- [Crime Rate Down ... Except for Jews](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/08/focuscrimeratedownexceptforjews081225/) - August 12, 2025 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Jews Since 10/7: Small Minority, Bigger Target The massacre of Oct. 7, 2023, opened the flood gates of hatred against Jews, not only in Israel, but around the world. Whether used as a cover to unleash deep-seated antisemitism or
- [Torah for this Hour | August 7, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/08/torahforthishour080725/) - At Camp, In Ukraine ... (Not) Striving for "Normal" I am in Ukraine, in a village where there was once a great Hassidic community that was entirely destroyed during World War I. One hundred sixty-fix Jewish children are coming here for a summer camp, children who are fleeing from all over Ukraine for two weeks
- [Hamas Propaganda and the Politics of Blame](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/08/focushamaspropagandapoliticsofblame080525/) - August 5, 2025 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS The Forgotten Hostages: Global Demands Target Israel, Not Their Captors The war between Israel and Hamas has moved far beyond combat on the ground. A dangerous ideological front is now blazing – affecting global perception, political alliances and public
- [Torah for this Hour | July 31, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/07/torahforthishour073125/) - We Are The Indigenous People ... We are now approaching the end of "the three weeks" during which we refrain from joy in remembrance of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. The mourning reaches its climax on Tisha B'av itself, when we read the book of Eikhah and Kinnot (Elegies) while seated on the
- [Starvation and Spin: Hamas Manipulation](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/07/focusstarvationandspinhamasmanipulation072925/) - July 29, 2025 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Feeding Gaza and Fighting the Hamas Propaganda Machine Humanitarian Aid: The Complex and Tragic Toll of the Hamas War Civilians in Gaza are suffering – caught in the middle of a brutal war – with hundreds of thousands displaced,
- [Torah for this Hour | July 24, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/07/torah-for-this-hour-july-24-2025/) - A Compelling Call ... “Your brothers will go to war, and you will sit here?” ~ Numbers 32:6 Moses cries out to those who wish to settle on the far side of the Jordan River. This cry is not a rhetorical question – it is a compelling call to future generations. Moses presents a stark
- [Is Zionism a Mental Disorder?](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/07/focusiszionismamentaldisorder072225/) - July 22, 2025 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS No Place to Heal: The Crisis Facing Jewish Patients and Professionals A surge in discrimination, exclusion and hostility is being reported by Jewish patients, doctors and medical students in therapy sessions, hospitals and university programs. Some patients are even
- [Torah for this Hour | July 17, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/07/torahforthishour071725/) - The Three Weeks: Extremism in Israeli society Pinchas ben Elazar confronts us with a profound question about extremism in Israeli society today. His zealous act saved the people from divine wrath and even earned him a covenant of peace — it seems the Torah wants us to learn from him. Yet today we know that
- [When Being Jewish Means Being Excluded](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/07/focuswhenbeingjewishmeansbeingexcluded071525/) - July 15, 2025 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Erasing American Jews: Excluded, Shunned and Marginalized Exclusion of Jews is no longer confined to fringe protests or campus encampments – it now reaches America’s most powerful civic institutions. There are escalating threats to Jewish inclusion and identity –
- [Torah for this Hour | July 10, 2025: Operation Rising Lion](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/07/torahforthishour071025/) - “Lo, a people that rises like a lion, leaps up like the king of beasts.” (Num. 23:24) Commenting on the verse that provided the official name (Operation Rising Lion) for the recent war with Iran, which appears in this week’s Torah portion, Rashi offers two explanations. By way of midrash, he states “When they rise
- [Diplomacy at the Table, Violence in the Streets](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/07/focusdiplomacyatthetableviolenceinthestreets070825/) - July 8, 2025 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Diplomacy and Danger: Hostages, Hate and Hypocrisy As Israel’s prime minister visits the White House, Jews across America and around the world continue to face physical attacks and cultural exclusion. President Trump is optimistic that Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and
- [Torah for this Hour | July 2, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/07/torahforthishour070225/) - Recent weekly Torah portions, among them Shelaḥlekh and Koraḥ, are often read as a collection of tales of sins, of spies, and of Koraḥ and his followers. It would be worthwhile to read those passages from another angle, as stories of the development of the Israelites from a nation in servitude to a people seeking
- [Glorifying Violence, Excusing Silence](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/07/focusglorifyingviolenceexcusingsilence070125/) - STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Glorifying Violence, Excusing Silence: The New Normal A massive crowd at a major UK music festival chanted: “Death, death to the IDF.” A NYC mayoral candidate still refuses to condemn the slogan, “Globalize the Intifada.” An 82-year-old woman died of her wounds
- [U.S. Strikes Iran, Ceasefire Begins](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/06/focususstrikesiranceasefirebegins062425/) - STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Iran: A Threat to America, Israel and the World The lethal conflict between Iran and Israel dramatically escalated after U.S. B-2 bombers delivered devastating blows – 14 bunker busters at 30,000-pounds each – to underground Iranian nuclear facilities. The U.S. Navy launched
- [Rabbinical Assembly and USCJ Statement on US Strikes on Iran](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/06/rauscjstatementusstrikesiran062225/) - June 22, 2025 Under the direction of President Donald J. Trump, the United States has taken deliberate action intended to neutralize the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran to advance American, Israeli, and global security. For decades, Iran has encouraged chants of “Death to Israel” and “Death to America,” while fueling global terror and instability through
- [Torah for this Hour: A Word on the War | June 19, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/06/torahforthishourwordonthewar061925/) - A Word on the War: Thoughts from Rabbi Yoav Ende Since October 7th, we've been living in a state of rupture — torn between grief, anger, urgency, and determination. While we’re still deep in it, the escalation with Iran marks a turning point that can't be ignored. For decades, Iran has made its goal clear:
- [War with Iran: A Message from MERCAZ USA's President](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/06/presidentsmessagewarwithiran061725/) - " ... The entire world owes Israel an enormous debt of gratitude for taking action that no other country took." June 17, 2025 At this very moment of my writing this, I was supposed to be landing in Israel with Sharon and Hadar. Of course our plans have changed as have those of so many
- [Iran-Israel Conflict Explained](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/06/focusiranisraelconflictexplained061725/) - STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Iran Questions Answered: Behind the Headlines (June 17, 2025) A deadly war now being waged over the skies of Iran and Israel is killing dozens and threatening not only Israel’s existence, but also the global economy and even world peace. This edition
- [Torah for this Hour | June 12, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/06/torahforthishour061225/) - A central image this week is the seven branched menorah, which focuses our thoughts on the land of Israel. The menorah is unusually botanical: “There were six branches stemming from its sides, each with three almond shaped calyxes with knob and flower.” (Exodus 25: 31-38 and 37: 17-24). A plant native to Israel resembles the
- [Hostages Wait Because of History’s Oldest Hate](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/06/focushostageswaithistorysoldesthate061025/) - STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS What Hamas Holds Hostage: 10/7 Victims, Gazans and Public Opinion While Iran continues to weave its global web of terror, its apprentice, Hamas, continues to hold Israelis, Americans and foreign nationals hostage. Hamas leverages skillful propaganda and manipulates media to stoke the flames of antisemitism worldwide,
- [Historic Victory for MERCAZ USA & Conservative/Masorti Movement](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/06/wzcvictorymercazmasortimovement060625/) - Advocating for Democracy, Pluralism, and Inclusion at WZC Thank You for a Historic Victory! Last night, we received the preliminary results of the World Zionist Congress election, and we’re overjoyed to report that we nearly doubled our vote total from the last election. MERCAZ USA is one of three existing slates that ran in 2020
- [MERCAZ USA Applauds Historic Victory for Conservative Movement, Reaffirms Commitment to Election Integrity](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/06/wzcelectionshistoricvictoryconservativemovement060625/) - For Immediate Release June 6, 2025 Media Contact Zack Cohen, zcohen@westendstrategy.com, 404-821-0572 MERCAZ USA Applauds Historic Victory for Conservative Movement, Reaffirms Commitment to Election Integrity NEW YORK – Following last night’s release of the preliminary vote totals from the American Zionist Movement, MERCAZ USA celebrates a successful campaign for the World Zionist Congress. In a
- [Torah for this Hour | June 5, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/06/torahforthishour060525/) - In folk medicine there is a belief in the efficacy of leaves from the bush known as trigose bugloss or prickly alkanet, which is common around the Eastern Mediterranean. Skin wounds can be healed by placing beaten leaves on the wound. Burns and infections on skin can be treated with a salve made of beaten
- [Fiery Attack on Jews](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/06/focusfieryattack060425/) - STORY MAKING NEWS: Fiery Attack on Jews in Colorado A terrorist in Colorado attacked a group of Jews marching in support of Israeli hostages who are still held in Gaza – stunning the nation and the Jewish community worldwide. The attacker, an Egyptian national who spent a year planning the assault, screamed “Free Palestine” as he was
- [Torah for this Hour | May 29, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/05/torahforthishour052925/) - The weekly portion, Be-midbar, begins with taking a count — counting the male Israelites able to go to war, divided according to tribes. Today we are in the midst of several counting activities at once: We are counting the days between Passover and Shavuot, the“counting of the omer,” and we are almost finished. We are
- [Jews Targeted in America’s Capital](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/05/focusjewstargetedamericascapital052825/) - STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS From Rhetoric to Tragic Reality: The Murders at Capital’s Jewish Museum Shockingly, in the nation’s capital, an enraged gunman brutally murdered an American Jew and an Israeli Christian on the street in front of the Capital Jewish Museum – little more than
- [Statement on Jewish Community Security Needs](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/05/copstatementjewishcommunitysecurityneeds052325/) - May 22, 2025 | New York, NY Last night, our community lost Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, two shining lights who believed in service to their communities, to a cowardly act of hate-fueled domestic terrorism. The tragic murders of these two innocent young Israeli embassy employees, who were attending an American Jewish Committee event at
- [Torah for this Hour | May 22, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/05/torahforthishour052225/) - “And the man Moses was very humble, more than any person on the face of the earth.” (Num. 12:3) Thoughts in advance of the Festival of the Giving of the Torah We are used to regarding humility as a moral attribute in interpersonal relationships, but one can also take note of intellectual humility, expressed through
- [From Hiding Under Dead Bodies to Center Stage](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/05/focushidingunderdeadbodiestocenterstage052025/) - STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS The Jewish People’s Enduring Spirit: From Trauma to Triumph Israeli Oct. 7 Survivor Excels at European Song Contest: ‘I won at life’ The unthinkable happened on the morning of Oct. 7, 2023, when Yuval Raphael was among the many young people celebrating
- [Torah for this Hour | May 15, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/05/torahforthishour051525/) - Mishnah for This Hour: A Timely Take on Pirkei Avot 5:10 "There are Four Types of People:" This applies to every man and every woman — from a flower vendor to a prime minister. "One who says, 'What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours' — this is the trait of an average person."
- [AZM Update on 2025 World Zionist Congress Election](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/05/azmupdate2025wzcelection051425/) - May 13, 2025 To: AZM Leadership & Organizations From: Deborah Isaac, AZM President Herbert Block, AZM Executive Director Re: AZM Update on 2025 World Zionist Congress Election The American Zionist Movement (AZM) takes pride in the historic turnout of more than 240,000 voters in the 2025 World Zionist Congress election which concluded on May
- [Is the U.S.-Israel Alliance at Risk?](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/05/focususisraelallianceatrisk051325/) - Issue: May 13, 2025 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Navigating a Turbulent Region: Why the U.S.-Israel Alliance Matters Hamas hostage Edan Alexander, an American-Israeli – held in Gaza for 584 days, was just released to Israel and welcomed by his family in a deal brokered between the
- [Torah for this Hour | May 8, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/05/torahforthishour050825/) - During the month of Elul, as individuals, we apply candor and self awareness to the gap between our values and our behavior in preparation for the Days of Awe. Now we are engaged in the season of counting the Omer, the bridge of 7 weeks between Passover and Shavuot during which we have stood together
- [More Than Bagels & Lox: Jewish American Life](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/05/focusmorethanbagelslox050625/) - Patriotism & Heritage: The Jewish American Story BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Enduring Contributions and Heritage From even before the U.S. gained independence, Jews have been woven into the fabric of American life, contributing their energy, intellect and spirit to the building of the American Dream. Founded in
- [Post-Election Statement: ARZA/Vote Reform | Hatikvah | MERCAZ USA](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/05/wzcpostelectionstatement050525/) - The election for the 2025 World Zionist Congress has been a significant success for our 3 slates, representing the majority of liberal Jewry in the U.S. It was also a success for furthering our values of pluralism, equality, justice, and democracy. During a time when Zionism as a concept is more controversial for some in
- [Torah for this Hour | May 1, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/05/torahforthishour050125/) - Many Holocaust survivors who established families in Israel describe themselves as victors; for victory seems to be a matter of consciousness, at least as much as it is a military achievement. The root of the Hebrew word for victory (nitzachon) is eternity (netzach), as if victory were the act of being eternal. The prophecies of
- [Remembering Heroes, Fighting for Hostages](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/04/focusrememberingheroesfightingforhostages042925/) - Echoes of Loss, Voices of Hope: Israel’s Memorial and Independence Days BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Hostages Want Freedom from Hamas Captors: ‘Omri is a survivor in captivity’ Sirens blare nationwide every year on Israel’s Memorial Day – heralding a moment of silence to honor the Israelis who
- [Torah for this Hour | April 24, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/04/torahforthishour042425/) - We are now marking Yom Ha-shoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, and soon we will bless the new month of ’Iyyar, which includes Israel’s Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and victims of terror — both of them days replete with pain and collective trauma. For years I have experienced discomfort regarding the way in which these days
- [What Happened to Jewish Unity after October 7? ...](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/04/whathappenedjewishunityafteroctober7041825/) - ... And why you should Vote MERCAZ in the World Zionist Congress election. by Rabbi Eric Leiderman, a Chicago-based educator and community builder. He is a dedicated advocate for vibrant, inclusive Jewish life, working to inspire the next generation through education, activism, and leadership. Rabbi Leiderman serves as Secretary for MERCAZ USA and is a
- [Holocaust Remembrance: Liberators and Survivors](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/04/focusholocaustremembranceliberatorssurvivors042225/) - Bearing Witness: Death Camp Liberators and Holocaust Survivors BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES World War II will be remembered in infamy for countless reasons – the most horrific being the systematic extermination of 6 million Jews during the Holocaust. As many around the world observe Yom HaShoah – Israel’s solemn
- [From Exodus to Elections: Vote MERCAZ USA (Slate 17)](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/04/exodustoelectionsvotemercazjacobblumenthal041725/) - This Passover, channel the resilience of the Israelites and vote NOW for MERCAZ USA (Slate 17). The 2025 World Zionist Congress elections are well underway, and the stakes could not be higher. To ensure the voice of Conservative/Masorti Judaism is heard, vote MERCAZ USA (Slate 17) before May 4th. Just as the Israelites’ constant hope
- [The World’s Oldest Hate: Pharaoh to Present](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/04/focusworldsoldesthatepharaohtopresent041525/) - From Pharaoh to Present: How an Ancient Hatred of Jews Has Rippled Through History BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES From the back-breaking whips of ancient Egyptian overlords to modern-day vandalism, violence and murder, the Jewish people have long been targets of scapegoating and hatred. Today’s blood libels, hateful rhetoric and distorted portrayals of
- [Hostages, Nukes, Hate: The Passover Connection](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/04/focushostagesnukeshatepassoverconnection040825/) - Echoes from Exodus: Israel’s Fight Against Modern Pharaohs BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES The Israeli hostages still held captive by Hamas after a year and a half serve as a painful reminder of historic persecution of the Jewish people. On the eve of the Passover holiday, commemorated for more than
- [This Passover ... Support MERCAZ USA: Make a Commitment to an Inclusive Jewish future](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/04/passoverappeal2025040425/) - Support MERCAZ USA and Donate Today! As we gather around the Seder table this Passover, we recall our ancestors’ journey from slavery to freedom, from exile to the Promised Land. The story of the Exodus is one of resilience, faith, and the enduring power of community — a story that continues to inspire us today. At
- [A Passover message: Vote MERCAZ - a plea for an all-inclusive world Zionist coalition](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/04/passovermessagevotemercaz040325/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, President, Mercaz Olami and Rabbi Hillel Skolnik, President, MERCAZ USA The Passover seder is a unique event on the Jewish calendar. We invite family members and friends of all ages to sit together as we relate the narrative that shaped the destiny of our people. The aim is to create an
- [Your Voice Matters. Vote for MERCAZ USA Today.](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/04/wzcelectionblumentalmessage040225/) - Watch this important message from Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal ... Instead of working to unify the Jewish people, extremists in Israel are working to undermine the rights of Conservative Jews like us in the Jewish state. Your vote in the election for the World Zionist Congress is your voice ... Your way to send them a message. Click
- [Conversations with Cosgrove: The WZO Election with Yizhar Hess and the Vote for Mercaz](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/04/podcastcosgrovehesswzcelection040125/) - Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove (Park Avenue Synagogue, New York, NY) and Yizhar Hess (Vice Vhairman of the World Zionist Organization) discuss why American Jews should vote for Cosgrove and MERCAZ USA (Conservative Movement / Slate 17) in the election that runs through May 4. For more Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, follow @Elliot_Cosgrove on Instagram and Facebook.
- [Torah for this Hour | April 2, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/04/torahforthishour040225/) - Parashat Vayikra deals with the terms and conditions of sacrifices. In Lev. 4:22 we read: Asher nasi yeḥeta … — This section of the laws of the purification offering (ḥattat) stands out from the rest. The language employed here for the instance of a chieftain (nasi) committing a sin that requires bringing a ḥattat is
- [Inside Gaza: Protests Grow Against Hamas](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/04/focusinsidegazaprotestsgrow040125/) - Hamas Brutality Exposed: Palestinians Brave Death to Denounce Hamas BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES Palestinians Risk Their Lives to Protest Hamas Hamas terrorists dumped the body of 22-year-old Palestinian Odai Naser Saadi on the doorsteps of his family’s home with a chilling message: “This is the price for those who criticize Hamas.”
- [Campus Crisis: Changes, Concerns and Covert Cash](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/03/focuscampuscrisis032525/) - Victories, Failures and Foreign Influence: Campuses Confront Hatred BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES Nearly half of universities across the U.S. have launched policy changes to address rampant displays of hatred toward Jews – antisemitism – but only eight received a top grade from the ADL in its recently released Campus Antisemitism
- [Torah for this Hour | March 20, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/03/torahforthishour032025/) - Shabak Samech’s 2000 hit single Nofel v’kam / “Fall and Get Up” begins with a citation from the Haggadah, “In every generation one must see themselves as if they left Egypt,” with this core message echoing throughout this modern midrash of a song. The chorus of the song describes the Jewish condition: The road is
- [Why Your Vote for MERCAZ USA Matters](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/03/whyyourvoteformercazmatters031825/) - By Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal | Rabbi Blumenthal is the CEO of the Rabbinical Assembly and the CEO of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ). Previously he served for over 20 years as Founding Rabbi of Shaare Torah in Gaithersburg, Maryland. On a recent trip to Israel, I met with a wonderful group of Masorti congregational
- [Iran’s Terror Network Targets U.S. & Israel](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/03/focusiranterrornetworktargetsusisrael031825/) - Gaza Ceasefire Collapses; Houthis Target U.S. and Israel BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES Gaza Ceasefire Collapses After Hamas Refuses to Release Hostages In response to Hamas rejecting all proposals to release the remaining 59 hostages, including 24 assumed alive, Israeli Defense Forces have resumed attacks on terrorist leaders in Gaza. Hamas continued
- [Torah for this Hour | March 13, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/03/torahforthishour031325/) - “Mordechai learned of the matter and told it to Esther and she told the King in Mordechai’s name” [Megillat Esther 2:22] Twice in Megillat Esther, Mordechai becomes aware of critical information, as he sits outside the palace gates, in the streets of the city. He passes that information on to Esther, who chooses to believe
- [A Thought Before Shabbat (and Purim) with Rabbi Skolnik ...](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/03/athoughtbeforeshabbatvotemercaz031325/) - Rabbi Hillel Skolnik is the President of MERCAZ USA ... Purim, Zionism, and Israel: Vote MERCAZ (Slate 17) today!
- [Ramah Alumni: Make Our Voices Heard at the WZO](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/03/ramahalumnimakeourvoicesheardatthewzo031125/) - By Dr. Daniel Olson | Dr. Olson is the Assistant National Director at the National Ramah Commission. Daniel completed his PhD in education and Jewish studies at NYU in 2020. He received the Harold Wechsler award for emerging scholars from the Network for Research in Jewish Education and is a Wexner Graduate Fellow/Davidson Scholar. He
- [We Wrote the Book ... on Why to Vote MERCAZ](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/03/thebookwhyvotemercaz031225/) - We wrote the book on Why to Vote MERCAZ! Download a copy of this volume by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD, President of MERCAZ Olami, to learn why MERCAZ offers a voice about Zionist issues, and advocates for Jewish religious pluralism in Israel. Also learn the history of Conservative Judaism’s Zionism …
- [A Call to Action: Protect Israel’s Future](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/03/protectisraelsfuture031125/) - By Rabbi Amy Levin | Rabbi Levin has led congregations both in the United States and Israel, as well as teaching, mentoring, and advising congregational leaders. She is a trained congregational consultant, served as a mentor for senior rabbinical students, and helped two congregations in transition as their interim rabbi. Amy’s expertise includes supporting congregational
- [They Want Us Silent; We Won't Be](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/03/focustheywantussilentwewontbe031125/) - From Ancient Persia to Modern U.S. Campuses: Echoes of Purim Continue BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – EVENTS – STORIES Book of Esther: The Story of Purim The Jewish holiday of Purim celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from a massacre in ancient Persia, now known as Iran. The decree for the annihilation of
- [American Jews, your World Zionist Congress vote is your voice in Israel](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/03/americanjewsyourvoteisyourvoice-in-israel030925/) - By Dr. Yizhar Hess | Dr. Yizhar Hess is the Vice Chair of the World Zionist Organization and the senior representative of MERCAZ in the World Zionist Congress. The fabric of Jewish and Israeli society is at stake as are billions of dollars that could end up funding divisive extremists Theodor Herzl was not the
- [These are the 21 slates US Jews can vote for in the World Zionist Congress election (JTA)](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/03/jta21slatesjewscanvotefor031025/) - We encourage you to read this article from the JTA by clicking here.
- [The Zionism of Schechter’s Faculty](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/09/zionismofschechtersfaculty091224/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD | President of Mercaz Olami (Representing the global Masorti/Conservative movement) Upon assuming the leadership of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, Solomon Schechter immediately proceeded to assemble a high-quality roster of faculty committed to joining with him in interpreting Judaism for American Jews. As Norman Bentwich observed, Schechter’s recruitment
- [The Zionism of Solomon Schechter’s Students](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/09/zionismofsolomonschechtersstudents092424/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD | President of Mercaz Olami (Representing the global Masorti/Conservative movement) In “The Zionism of the Jewish Theological Seminary, 1902-1948,” Dr. Naomi Cohen affirmed that Solomon Schechter’s “religious Zionism found a ready response among seminary students, many of whom were already Zionist sympathizers. The young men flocked to sermons and lectures
- [Conservative Zionism between the world wars](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/09/conservativezionismbetweentheworldwars092524/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD | President of Mercaz Olami (Representing the global Masorti/Conservative movement) After his death in 1915, Solomon Schechter’s legacy of Zionism continued through key members of the Jewish Theological Seminary faculty and through the stream of rabbinical school graduates. Conservative Movement historian Rabbi Simcha Kling noted: “Conservative Judaism was unique among the contemporary
- [Conservative Judaism’s Zionism, 1948-1973](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/10/conservativejudaismszionism19481973103124/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD | President of Mercaz Olami (Representing the global Masorti/Conservative movement) With Israeli statehood a reality, Conservative Judaism became a full-fledged Zionist movement. For JTS chancellor Louis Finkelstein, the commitment to Israel was personal as well; his daughter had settled and established a family in Jerusalem, with her father making visits year after
- [The Future of Zionism is in Your Hands | Vote MERCAZ (Slate 17)](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/03/votemercazfutureofzionisminyourhands031025/) - Resolution Proposed and Debated at the 2023 Extraordinary Congress. | Photo by Eric M. Leiderman By Eric M. Leiderman, Secretary, MERCAZ USA Rabbi Eric Leiderman is a Chicago-based educator and community builder. He is a dedicated advocate for vibrant, inclusive Jewish life, working to inspire the next generation through education, activism, and leadership. In October
- [Torah for this Hour | March 6, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/03/torahforthishour030625/) - A Shabbat prayer says If our mouths were filled with song like the expanse of the sea … we could not thank you enough, Gd, for the good that you have done for us and for our ancestors. After 2,000 years of suffering the cruelty of our enemies, how have these words continued to be
- [Operation Moses: Rescue, Remember, Rise](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/03/focusoperationmosesrescuerememberrise030425/) - Ethiopian Immigration: A Story of Faith, Freedom and Fulfillment BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES The daring Israeli rescue of Ethiopian Jews 40 years ago proved the resilience of the Jewish people and commitment to their protection worldwide – demonstrated throughout history – found a powerful expression in Operation Moses. Recently commemorated, this
- [Torah for this Hour | February 27, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/02/torah-for-this-hour-february-27-2025/) - In Terumah, we read about the house that God asks the people of Israel to build so that the Shekhinah may dwell among them. The structure is beautiful yet practical. Although there will be a principal contractor, the entire nation is invited to participate — especially by contributing from their own possessions. We should learn
- [Honoring Killers, Ignoring Victims](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/02/focushonoringkillersignoringvictims022525/) - Moral Decay: Equating Terrorists with Innocent Victims BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – DISPELLING MYTHS – STORIES Anyone who refuses to condemn the evil acts of Hamas abandons their basic human values and morals. The staged hostage releases have been cynical, humiliating and depraved – produced for live broadcast by Hamas and spread to
- [It's not Shabbat Shalom. It's not Shabbat Menucha. Now it's just Shabbat.](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/02/presidentsmessageitsjustshabbat022125/) - President's Message | February 21, 2025 Rabbi Hillel Skolnik President, MERCAZ USA One of the most central aspects to our observance of Shabbat is the idea of Shabbat Menucha - Shabbat rest. Shabbat, among many other things, is meant to be a time that we set aside the work and labor of the other six
- [Torah for this Hour | February 20, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/02/torahforthishour022025/) - Not in the Heavens by Hamutal Bar-Yosef Not in the heavens, Not far away, Goodness blew like wind. Is it not very close? Is it not here? Is its flame not in your hand, whispering to perform it now? Goodness blows like the wind — not up in the heavens, writes Hamutal Bar-Yosef, playing on
- [The Trauma Hamas Wants the World to Ignore](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/02/focustraumahamaswantsworldtoignore021825/) - Surviving Hell: Israeli Hostages Bear Witness to Horrors BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – DISPELLING FALSEHOODS – ACTIONS - PERSON OF THE WEEK – STORIES ‘The vile lottery of Jewish lives continues’ As hostages are being released in a slow and painful process, the captives and their families are suffering devastating psychological effects, now 500 days
- [Torah for this Hour | February 13, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/02/torahforthishour021325/) - In the Torah reading Yitro, Moshe's father-in-law advises him to appoint judges to meet the people’s needs for justice. This precedes the giving of the Torah itself. A functioning legal system is a prerequisite for any just, decent, human society. It is no coincidence that this requirement appeared as one of the seven Noahide laws
- [We Cried ‘Never Again’ – Yet, It’s Happening Now](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/02/focusneveragainitshappeningnow021125/) - Emaciated Hostages Cast Holocaust Shadows, Trigger National Trauma BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – PERSON OF THE WEEK – STORIES The three Israeli hostages recently released by Hamas were so emaciated and frail that images broadcast from Gaza sent shockwaves throughout Israel and much of the world. The appearance of the three men was eerily
- [Torah for This Hour | February 6, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/02/torahforthishour020625/) - “When Pharaoh sent the people off …” With the plagues past, the blood dried, the matzah baked and packed, the people are leaving Egypt. But no celebration ensues. There would be no straight road to Canaan, only carping and complaining and delay. Even behind pillars of cloud and fire, the Israelites were unprepared for the
- [Strides Made, but Campuses Remain Hostile for Jews](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/02/focuscampusesremainhostile020425/) - Confronting Campus Antisemitism: Progress Amid Persistent Threats BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – HOSTAGE UPDATE – STORIES Combatting antisemitism – anti-Jewish hatred – on university campuses has been an arduous process this past year, requiring an all-hands on deck approach. In the face of pressure from alumni, student groups and government agencies, some campuses
- [Torah for this Hour | January 30, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/01/torahforthishour013025/) - "(God) secures justice for those who are wronged, feeds the hungry, God releases the prisoners" (Psalms 146:17). Malbim* says "it is to say that a human king, in freeing a prisoner from his sentence, has already done enough justice and goodwill, and a person will not ask for any more help, but God frees the
- [Lessons from Auschwitz: Never Forget](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/01/focuslessonsfromauschwitz012825/) - Holocaust Remembrance and Confronting Today’s Challenges BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – HOSTAGE UPDATE “Whoever listens to a witness, becomes a witness. It is all about memory. The survivor’s duty is to bear witness for the dead and for the living. To forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time.” – Holocaust survivor, author
- [Torah for this Hour | January 23, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/01/torahforthishour012325/) - During these days of “Operation Wings of Liberty,” we rock back and forth between outbursts of joy, deep sadness and disappointment, anxiety and fear, despair and once again hope. Sixteen months of war, during which we have hoped, anticipated, prayed to witnesses the release of our sisters and brothers held in anguish and captivity. In
- [Treacherous Trade: Murderers for Hostages](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/01/focustreacheroustrade012225/) - Israel’s Painful Sacrifice: Trading Convicted Murderers to Save Innocent Hostages BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES Relief and dread descended over Israelis with the latest release of three Israeli hostages by Hamas in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners. The release of innocent hostages – held under inhumane conditions – comes at the heavy cost
- [President's Message: Never Lose Infinite Hope](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/01/presidentsmessageneverloseinfinitehope012225/) - Rabbi Hillel Skolnik, President, MERCAZ USA Wednesday, January 22, 2025 This past Monday morning, as our country marked Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, his almost prophetic words expressed in February 1968, two months before his assassination, rang particularly true. “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” Reading through the Book of
- [Torah for this Hour | January 16, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/01/torahforthishour011625/) - A friend showed me an Islamic prayer rug that his son took when he served in Gaza. Deuteronomy 23:10 teaches: “When you go out as a troop against your enemies, be on your guard against any evil thing.” Nahmanides (1194–1270) explains that in war, “the most naturally upright person becomes cruel and wrathful …” My
- [Distorted Narratives Harm Israel, Undermine Truth](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/01/focusdistortednarrativesharmisrael011424/) - Distorted Narratives Harm Israel and Undermine the Truth BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES Widespread news and social media bias – combined with conspiracy theories and false narratives – continues to distort public perceptions of the war Hamas launched against Israel. Some high-profile news media coverage is becoming even more concerning – and
- [Jimmy Carter’s Role in the Camp David Accords — Mixed Reviews](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/01/jimmycartercampdavid011025/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD | President of Mercaz Olami (Representing the global Masorti/Conservative movement) The Jewish tradition advocates hakarat hatov — displaying gratitude to people who have engaged in acts of goodness toward Jewry. With the passing of former President Jimmy Carter, extensive expressions of “thank you” have been verbalized by Jewish leaders. They acknowledge Carter’s pivotal role
- [Torah for this Hour | January 9, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/01/torah-for-this-hour-january-9-2025/) - We have come to the end of the Book of Genesis (Bereishit), where the Torah delivers a strong message about the connection between brothers. We began with Cain and Abel, where we read that “Cain rose against Abel his brother and killed him” (4:8). One man murders his brother. We continued with Isaac and Ishmael,
- [As Challenges Rise, So Does Jewish Resilience](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/01/focuschallengesrisejewishresilience010725/) - Cautiously Optimistic: American Jews and Israelis Enter 2025 BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – IN MEMORIAM – STORIES The bond between American and Israeli Jews has deepened – forged by shared challenges since the 10/7 attacks and the rising tide of hatred that followed – targeting not only Israel, but Jews worldwide. Campaigns promoting
- [Torah for this Hour | January 2, 2025](https://www.mercazusa.org/2025/01/torahforthishour010225/) - The light of Hanukkah this year is engulfed in a cloud of pain and sorrow. In her song “Kad Ha-kemaḥ” (The Pitcher of Flour”), Naomi Shemer portrays a fabulous scene in the story of Elijah the Prophet. The hungry, wandering prophet, wrapped in his sorrow, believes that the pitcher of flour will not be depleted
- [Torah for this Hour (Hanukkah) | December 26, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/12/torahforthishourhanukkah122624/) - Responding to the Torah’s passage about the Temple menorah, the Sages wonder: How can it be that in the most sacred place one must light lamps? After all, the Torah tells us that “the Glory of the Eternal filled the tabernacle [mishkan]” (Exod. 40:24, 25) — that is, the Blessed Holy One, who is the
- [Hanukkah’s Eternal Message of Resilience](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/12/focushanukkahseternalmessageofresilience122324/) - Hanukkah’s Eternal Message of Hope and Resilience Still Burns Brightly BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS The remarkable and miraculous story of Hanukkah offers more than a historical commemoration. In a year marked by soaring antisemitism and existential challenges to Israel, it reminds us of the enduring strength of the Jewish spirit and the ability
- [Torah for this Hour | December 19, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/12/torahforthishour121924/) - In our parashah, we encounter the story of the ketonet passim, the “coat of many colors” (in the King James translation) that Jacob made for Joseph, the garment that brought about the rift between Joseph and his brothers — a rift that led let to tremendous violence. Many years later, Meir Ariel (a 20th c.
- [Golan Heights – The Case for Israeli Sovereignty](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/12/golanheightsisraelisovereignty121824/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD | President of Mercaz Olami (Representing the global Masorti/Conservative movement) Amid the collapse of the Assad dictatorship in Syra, Prime Minister Netanyahu reaffirmed that “the portion of the Golan Heights occupied and annexed by Israel” would permanently remain under Israeli control. 1. Did Israel acquire the Golan Heights in the context of
- [Hostage Nightmare Continues](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/12/focushostagenightmarecontinues121724/) - Hostage Nightmare Continues Amid Rays of Hope BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – MYTHS & FACTS – STORIES “Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe, Who sets captives free.” This Jewish blessing, recited in morning prayers, has carried even more profound meaning since the 10/7 Hamas attack on Israel. This
- [Torah for this Hour | December 12, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/12/torahforthishour121224/) - This Shabbat, as we read the story of Shechem raping Dina, communities across Israel will be dedicating this Shabbat to Dina and her legacy that calls on us to address sexual violence. Dina's story is an important cautionary tale –in that it reminds us that sexual violence is perpetrated against those close to us, and
- [Hate Against Jews – Where is the Outrage?](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/12/focushateagainstjewswhereisoutrage121024/) - Burned, Beaten, Hunted: Jews Face Intensifying Violence BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES Attacks Against Christians and Jews in America Two Kindergarten children were shot and critically injured while playing on their school’s playground in northern California, by a man claiming false ‘genocide’ about Israel’s role in Gaza. This attack is one in a series of
- [The MERCAZ USA Hanukkah Playlist](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/11/hanukkahplaylist2024/) - Happy Hanukkah from MERCAZ USA! Please enjoy this Hanukkah Playlist we have compiled. You can listen to a preview here. Click the 'Listen on Amazon Music' link to sign into your Amazon account and listen to the entire playlist! 
- [Torah for this Hour | December 5, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/12/torahforthishour120524/) - Bridging Dreams and Reality Jacob dreams the first dream in the Torah. He is alone, the sun is setting, and the light is waning. In that dream Jacob understands that he is not alone, and he finds renewed strength to shape reality for the better. Our dreams shape who we are, and our realities shape
- [Recent expressions of Zionist support by leaders of Conservative Judaism](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/12/zionistsupportbyleadersofconservativejudaism120224/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD | President of Mercaz Olami (Representing the global Masorti/Conservative movement) Expressions of Zionism have continued to proliferate throughout the Conservative movement in recent decades. In my synagogue — where I served as senior rabbi from 1979 to 2021, the Israeli flag stood on the bimah side-by-side with the American flag. The Prayer
- [Targeting Zionists is Targeting Jews](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/12/focustargetingzionistsistargetingjews120324/) - Cover Blown: Targeting ‘Zionists’ is Targeting Jews BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – IN MEMORIAM – ACTIONS – STORIES This week’s edition dedicated in memory of American-Israeli hostage Cpt. Omer Maxim Neutra, 21, murdered on Oct. 7, 2023. His body remains in Gaza. Amid a widespread climate of hatred toward Jews, particularly on university campuses, UCLA
- [Torah for this Hour | November 27, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/11/torahforthishour112724/) - “Do not reach out your hand against the lad.” (Gen. 22:12) We are living in an insane reality in which we wake up each morning in anxiety, fearful of hearing news media telling us they “are now authorized to make public” news of yet another casualty of war and terrorism. The Hebrew poet Hayyim Guri,
- [Arrest Warrants Reveal ICC’s Anti-Israel Bias](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/11/focusarrestwarrantsrevealantiisraelbias112624/) - Selective Justice: The ICC’s Targeting of Israel Undermines Global Trust BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – DISPELLING FALSEHOODS – STORIES Strength in Adversity: What American Jews Can Be Thankful for This Year This Thanksgiving, American Jews have much to be thankful for, even amid increasing challenges. The Jewish community has shown remarkable resilience in
- [The impact of the US Presidential Election on US-Israel relations](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/11/impactuspresidentialelectiononusisraelrelations112424/) - Watch the recording of this special virtual briefing with Tal Schneider, Political and Diplomatic Correspondent for Times of Israel, and one of Israel’s leading political commentators, presented on November 24, 2024. Presented by
- [Conservative Judaism’s Zionism extends to a presence in Israel](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/11/conservativejudaismszionismextendspresenceinisrael112224/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD | President of Mercaz Olami (Representing the global Masorti/Conservative movement) Parallel to expanding Zionist activity among America’s Conservative Jews was the effort to establish a Conservative Jewish presence in Israel. Initially, the movement in Israel was very small, consisting only of Emet V’Emunah, the first Conservative synagogue in the country, established in
- [Torah for this Hour | November 21, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/11/torahforthishour112124/) - The very heart of this week’s Torah portion, Ḥayyei Sarah, is the story of finding a bride for our forefather Isaac. It’s quite surprising to see the extent of the Torah’s attention to finding him a wife so close on the heels of the tale of his near-sacrifice (‘akedat Yitzḥak) and in particular so soon
- [Jewish Students Continue to Face Campus Hate](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/11/focusjewishstudentscontinuetofacecampushate111924/) - Unrelenting Attacks Against Jewish Students Intensify on Campus BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – DISPELLING FALSEHOODS – STORIES Attacks Against Jewish Students Intensify Anti-Israel student encampments made page one headlines nationwide and led network newscasts last spring. Despite a lull in news coverage, hostility and violence against Jewish students continues to stoke fear and
- [Torah for this Hour | November 14, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/11/torahforthishour111424/) - “Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the soil.” The Hebrew word understood as “your brother” can be read (without its vowels) not in the singular, but in the plural: “Your brothers’ blood...,” the blood of our own brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers. The cries of widows and the tears of orphans
- [‘Hunting for Jews’ – Attacks in Amsterdam](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/11/focusattacksinamsterdam111224/) - Amsterdam 2024: This is What ‘Globalize the Intifada’ Looks Like BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES Israel did not exist when the Holocaust brought death and destruction to Jews across Europe. Israel is now a nation capable of sending planes to Europe to rescue Jews in peril, and it recently did
- [The Global Zionism of Conservative Judaism: The World Council and MERCAZ](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/11/zionismworldcouncilandmercaz110824/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD | President of Mercaz Olami (Representing the global Masorti/Conservative movement) The initial effort to extend Conservative Judaism’s embrace of Zionism beyond the United States was launched by Rabbi Bernard Segal, who served as executive director of United Synagogue of America (later United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism) from 1953 to 1970. As noted
- [Torah for this Hour | November 7, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/11/torahforthishour110724/) - This year, “after the holidays” doesn't represent a return to normal. As long as our enemies are fighting us and our hostages remain suffocating in Gaza, there is no “return” and no “normal.” Even when we arrive in the promised land (the day after the war), we cannot return to who we were before the
- [U.S. - Israel Alliance Transcends Election Results](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/11/usisraelalliancetranscendselectionresults110524/) - Unwavering Alliance: U.S.-Israel Cooperation Benefits Both Nations BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES We value the feedback of our readers and invite you to please take 15 seconds to answer a few questions about this week’s edition by clicking the image right below the Actions to Consider section. In a time of global
- [Torah for this Hour | October 31, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/10/torahforthishour103124/) - “Noah” means rest, comfort. Consolation? .ותמלא הארץ חמס The land was overrun by hamas. Consolation? Does Hamas rest? The Midrash interprets hamas as theft. Theft of what by whom? Theft that justifies annihilation? In Genesis, God gave humans and animals “every plant and tree to eat.” He commanded the first human (“Adam”) on earth “to
- [UN’s Palestinian Staffers Part of 10/7 Massacre](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/10/focusunstafferspartof107massacre102924/) - UN’s Palestinian Agency Promotes Terrorism, Perpetuates Conflict BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – DISPELLING MYTHS – STORIES UN agency employees, doubling as Hamas terrorists, killed and kidnapped Israelis on 10/7 More than 10 percent of UNRWA’s Gaza staff has ties to terrorism Hamas built a data center directly beneath the UNRWA headquarters in Gaza
- [Torah for this Hour | October 23, 2024 (Simchat Torah)](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/10/torahforthishoursimchattorah102324/) - As the news comes at us fast and furious, I take a look at our synagogue community calendar and the schedule of services prepared for last year. Friday evening: hakafot for Simḥat Torah. Shabbat morning: shaḥarit, hakafot, the honors of Ḥatan Torah and Kallat Bereishit. A picture: children dance in a circle at the synagogue.
- [Killing Sinwar: War Milestone, Not Finish Line](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/10/focuskillingsinwarnotfinishline102224/) - When Israel’s Enemies Lay Down Arms, So Can Israel BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES Since the horrific Oct.7 massacre that killed thousands and saw hundreds of innocent civilians dragged to Gaza as hostages, Israel remains under constant attack. The world’s only Jewish state is forced to engage with enemies on seven fronts
- [How do we observe Simchat Torah in times of grief? 🎗️](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/10/simchattorahintimesofgrief102124/) - Via the Office of Dr. Yizhar Hess, Vice Chairman, World Zionist Organization As Simchat Torah approaches, many in Jewish communities around the world are grappling with how to celebrate the holiday in the shadow of such immense grief and tragedy. Following the devastating events of October 7th, when so many lives were lost, the question
- [Torah for this Hour (Sukkot) | October 16, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/10/torahforthishour101624/) - Sukkot provides an opportunity to think about the truly essential values of life. This week, the tottering sukkah reminds us of life’s fragility, of how ephemeral everything physical is. We do not need much help bringing all that to mind this year, as we still mourn those who were murdered or fell in battle, still
- [Biased Coverage Warps American Perceptions of Israel](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/10/biasedcoveragewarpsperceptionsofisrael101524/) - Education is Crucial to Defending Israel from Bias BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – DISPELLING FALSEHOODS – ACTIONS – STORIES We value the feedback of our readers and invite you to please take 15 seconds to answer two questions about this week’s edition by clicking the image right below the Actions to Consider section. Ignorance about
- [Conservative Judaism’s Zionism from World War II Until Israeli Statehood](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/10/conservativezionismwwiiisraelistatehood101025/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD | President of Mercaz Olami (Representing the global Masorti/Conservative movement) Soon after the outbreak of World War II, Jewish Theological Seminary chancellor Dr. Cyrus Adler passed away, and leadership of the JTS and of Judaism’s Conservative Movement was placed into the hands of Rabbi Louis Finkelstein, a JTS graduate and longtime assistant
- [October 7 Memorial Ceremony (Recorded on October 6, 2024)](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/10/masorti107memorialceremony100624/) - On Sunday, October 6, the Masorti/Conservative movement held a global online event to mark one year since the terrorist attack, honor those killed during the Hamas massacre and the fallen soldiers, and pray for the safe return of the hostages still held in Gaza. You can watch the recording of this 10/7 commemoration here: With
- [Remembering 10/7: Never Forget.](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/10/focusremembering107neverforget100624/) - This commemorative edition of the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre is being posted in lieu of this week's regular Tuesday edition. Horrors, Hostages and Heroes: First Anniversary of 10/7 Attacks BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES MAKING NEWS Hearts pounded with fear as sirens blared, rocket interceptions boomed across the sky as
- [Torah for this Hour | October 2, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/10/torahforthishour100224/) - The Day of T’ruah: 101 Calls of the Shofar “The teru'ah which the Torah mentions … — we do not know what it is: whether it resembles the wailing with which the women cry when they moan, or the sighs which a person who is distressed about a major matter will release repeatedly, or perhaps
- [Israel Under Attack](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/10/focusisraelunderattack100124/) - Iran Attacks Israel Following Nasrallah Killing BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – FACTS – ACTIONS – 10/7 RESOURCES – STORIES Israel’s northern towns have been under a relentless barrage of deadly Hezbollah rockets, missiles and drones displacing more than 60,000 Israelis – the equivalent of 2 million Americans – for the last year. The attacks have displaced Israeli
- [A Message for the New Year from MERCAZ USA's New President](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/09/presidentsmessage5785092924/) - Rabbi Hillel Skolnik, President, MERCAZ USA Dear Friends, As we usher in the very first moments of 5785, it will have been two weeks since we gathered together online for our General Council meeting which not only installed a new slate of officers, but challenged us with the question of the limits of our tent
- [Shanah Tovah U'Mitukah from the Conservative/Masorti Movement](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/09/shanahtovahumitukah5785/) - The partner organizations of Conservative/Masorti Judaism wish you a sweet, happy, and peaceful New Year!
- [Torah for This Hour | September 26, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/09/torahforthishour092624/) - A shelter for the soul The Home Front Command urges us to properly prepare the shelters in our homes and in public places. They explain that it is a matter of saving lives—actual, physical lives. A shelter and the need to prepare it carefully it advance are not new. The Bible tells us about the
- [Torah for this Hour | September 12, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/09/torahforthishour091224/) - Our tradition places great importance on the connections we feel with other people. We note those connections through happy events, such as a wedding or Bat Mitzvah, and sad events, such as a funeral and burial. In this week's Torah reading, Ki Tetse, we read of how we must let a captured woman mourn the
- [Beeper Blasts Shock Hezbollah, World Blasts Israel](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/09/focusbeeperblastsshock092424/) - Iran and Hezbollah’s Escalating Conflict Against America and Israel BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES We value the feedback of our readers and invite you to please take 15 seconds to answer two questions about this week’s edition by clicking the image right below the Actions to Consider section. After enduring nearly a
- [Where Does Our Zionist Tent Begin and End?](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/09/wheredoesourzionisttentbeginandend091824/) - MERCAZ USA General Council Meeting 2024 The MERCAZ USA General Council meeting took place on Wednesday, September 18, 2024 via Zoom. During the meeting, we discharged our outgoing board and installed our new leadership team. Please download the Report of the Nominating Committee to the Membership here. As part of our program, an important panel
- [UN Rewards Terror with Palestinian Seat](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/09/focusunrewardsterror091724/) - UN Legitimizes Seat for Palestine: Trophy for 10/7 BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – FACTS – ACTIONS – STORIES We value the feedback of our readers and invite you to please take 10 seconds to answer two questions about this week’s edition by clicking the image right below the Actions to Consider section. Despite a raging
- [9/11 Anniversary: Attack on Shared Values](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/09/911anniversaryattackonsharedvalues091024/) - Islamist Terrorism Still Threatening Freedom and Democracy BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES As we mark the 23rd anniversary of September 11, 2001, we are reminded of the nearly 3,000 innocent lives lost in the brutal acts of terrorism. Their memory lives on, not only in the hearts of their loved ones,
- [Torah for This Hour | September 5, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/09/torahforthishour090524/) - We are in the midst of the sheva‘ de-neḥamta, the seven Haftarot of consolation that are chanted between Tish‘ah Be-Av and Rosh Hashanah. How can we be consoled this year, in the wake of the slaughter on October 7? Ibn Ezra and modern scholars teach us that Isaiah 40–66 were written by a second author
- [Hamas Executes Six Hostages, Israel Blamed](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/09/hamasexecutesisraelblamed090424/) - Hamas Exploits Hostage Murders for Terror and Propaganda BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES Hamas viciously murdered six Israeli hostages in a tunnel underneath Gaza. The Iran-backed terrorists executed each with bullets to the back of their heads because the Israeli Defense Forces were closing in on their position. Hamas terrorists
- [Solomon Schechter’s Zionism](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/08/solomonschechterszionism083024/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD | President of Mercaz Olami (Representing the global Masorti/Conservative movement) In Professor Naomi Cohen’s “Diaspora Plus Palestine, Religion Plus Nationalism: The Seminary and Zionism” (“Tradition Renewed: A History of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America,” Vol. 2), she emphasized Solomon Schechter’s early adherence — already in the 1880s — to
- [Torah for this Hour | August 29, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/08/torah-for-this-hour-august-29-2024/) - “See, this day I set before you blessing and curse.” (Deut. 11:26) When the Torah commands us to see and not just to hear, we understand that we are talking about more than cognitive understanding. We are talking about an experience shared by the soul as well. In our world there are so many blessings
- [‘The Jewish Question’ Revisited by School Officials](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/08/focusdiscriminatingagainstjewsinschools082724/) - ‘The Jewish Question’: Discriminating Against Jews in Schools BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES Ethnic Studies Curriculum: ‘The Jewish Question’ How to address the “Jewish Question,” a phrase used by the Nazis during the Holocaust, is now being debated in a California school district. Evidence uncovered during the discovery phase of a lawsuit
- [The Origin of Zionism in Conservative Judaism](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/08/originofmasortizionism082324/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD | President of Mercaz Olami (Representing the global Masorti/Conservative movement) The European roots of Zionism in Conservative Judaism commenced with an emphasis on Jewish history and peoplehood as espoused by Rabbi Zechariah Frankel in the mid-19th century. Rabbi Frankel had withdrawn from the German rabbinical conferences of the 1840s due
- [Torah for this Hour | August 22, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/08/torah-for-this-hour-august-22-2024/) - Last Shabbat we read: “You who hold fast to the Lord your God, are all alive today”. We recite this verse every time the Torah is read publicly, which implies that “holding fast” to God is expressed first and foremost by internalizing the words of the Torah and living by its commandments. Cleaving to God
- [The Rise and Fall of Israel’s Chief Rabbinate](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/08/riseandfallofchiefrabbinate080824/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD | President of Mercaz Olami (Representing the global Masorti/Conservative movement) From 1517 until 1917, the entire Middle East was governed by the Ottoman Empire as a “caliphate,” an Islamic sacred polity. Within the vast terrain of Arab lands and North Africa, religious governance and a measure of minority group autonomy
- [Torah for This Hour | August 15, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/08/torahforthishour081524/) - On Tuesday of this week we observed the anniversary of the destruction of the Temples. Why did Tish’a Be-’Av fall on a Tuesday this year? The answer is that Tish’ah Be-’Av always falls on the same day of the week as seder night at the beginning of Passover. How are those two observances connected? One
- [DNC Demonstrators: End the War, Blame Israel](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/08/focusdncdemonstrators082024/) - Irony Lost: Activists Protest U.S. and Israel, Ignore Hamas Aggression BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES The Democratic National Convention in Chicago kicked off without incident despite the presence of thousands of pro-Hamas activists marching outside the security perimeter. The anti-Israel demonstrators descended on the convention to pressure the U.S. Administration to end support
- [The Controversy of Ultra-Orthodox Draft Deferments](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/08/ultraorthodoxdraftdeferments081424/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD | President of Mercaz Olami (Representing the global Masorti/Conservative movement) With the withdrawal of the British mandatory authorities, the State of Israel emerged in 1947-49 into a military conflict, its War of Independence. In a battle for survival, able-bodied Jews were expected to serve in self-defense of the new country.
- [Taylor Swift and Jews Targeted by Terrorists](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/08/focustaylorswifttargetedbyterrorists081324/) - Taylor Swift, Too? Threatened by Same Extremists Targeting Jews. BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES Three Taylor Swift concerts in Austria were abruptly cancelled because of an imminent terrorist threat. The main suspect, 19, was radicalized by online terror propaganda, and “thinks it is right to kill infidels,” according to Austrian security services.
- [Torah for this Hour | August 8, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/08/torah-for-this-hour-august-8-2024/) - “How can I bear unaided the trouble of you, and the burden, and the bickering!” (Devarim 1:12) The Torah teaches us: if it was difficult for Moshe — “whom the Lord singled out, face to face” (34:10) — to lead the people, then all the more so, every leader must study the solution suggested by
- [Jewish Students Dread Hostile Return to School](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/08/focusjewishstudentsdreadhostileschools080624/) - Jewish Students Brace for Hostile Fall Semester BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES Even with the imminent threat of a severe Iranian attack against Israel and possibly America looming on the near horizon, students and parents are preparing for the return to class at universities and K-12 schools. The spring semester
- [Addressing the core of Arab-Israel conflict](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/08/coreofarabisraelconflict073124/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD | President of Mercaz Olami (Representing the global Masorti/Conservative movement) “If the core of the Arab-Israeli dispute is the Palestinian refugee problem, once the Palestinian issue is solved, would not everything else fall into place?” The core of the Arab-Israeli dispute is neither the “Palestinian problem” nor the issue of
- [Torah for This Hour | August 1, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/08/torahforthishour080124/) - It is not in the heavens (Deteronomy 30:12) This biblical verse makes a radical claim: divine wisdom is available to all of us. We do not need heroic feats in order to make God's word accessible. For the sages of the Talmud the verse came to mean that the authority of interpreting the Torah resides
- [12 Children Murdered on Israeli Soccer Field by Hezbollah](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/07/12childrenmurderedonisraelisoccerfield073024/) - July 30, 2024 | A Bloody Game: 12 Children Killed on Israeli Soccer Field by Hezbollah BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – DISPELLING MYTHS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES While the Olympic Games captivate the attention of a worldwide audience, 12 innocent children were killed by Hezbollah missile fire while playing soccer in Israel. An
- [The UN is complicit in anti-Israel campaigning](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/07/the-un-is-complicit-in-anti-israel-campaigning/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD | President of Mercaz Olami (Representing the global Masorti/Conservative movement) As a child I remember bringing a UNICEF canister door-to-door to support the good work of the United Nations. Along with many other American Jews, my family believed in the value of international collaboration in furthering acts of hesed. Over the
- [Torah for This Hour | July 25, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/07/torahforthishour072524/) - The Torah portion, Balak, which we read this past Shabbat, is among the most amazing in the Torah: Bil’am emerges, a prophet not of the Israelite people, and pronounces deeply true things about us. He sees the people Israel in the desert, and ostensibly delivering a curse, he blesses: How good are your tents, Jacob,
- [United in Hate: Olympics, Yemen and the UN](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/07/unitedinhate072324/) - Deadly Yemen Drone, Olympic Death Threats and UN World Court Target Jews BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES | July 23, 2024 Israel’s prime minister landed in the American capital in the wake of President Biden withdrawing his bid for re-election. Just days before, an Iranian drone was launched by the
- [What is the aim of those who slander Israel by referring to Israelis as Nazis?](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/07/aimofthosewhoslanderisrael071824/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD | President of Mercaz Olami (representing the world Masorti/Conservative movement) Scholars Avinoam Patt of the University of Connecticut and Liat Steir-Livny of Sapir Academic College and the Open University of Israel offered the following observation: “The words used to describe events are often loaded with emotional associations; the power and
- [Torah for This Hour | July 18, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/07/torah-for-this-hour-july-18-2024/) - Balak, King of Mo‘av, is fearful of the Israelites and asks Bila‘am the sorcerer to curse them, for he believes this is the only way to defeat them in battle. He is afraid and therefore chooses to curse and belittle. In contrast, God transforms the curse into a blessing, for the Holy One knows only
- [Global Hate and Violence Surges Against Jews](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/07/globalhateviolencesurges071624/) - Normalization of Hate and Violence Against Jews Surging Worldwide BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES Raping girls for being Jewish, killing Israeli Olympic athletes and bombing a Jewish community center provide vicious evidence of hate-driven, high-profile attacks around the world against Jews. The 1972 Munich Olympics and the 1994 Buenos Aires
- [Is anti-Zionism always antisemitism?](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/07/isantizionismalwaysantisemitism071024/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD Prior to the October 7th murder of 1,200 individuals and the kidnapping of 250 by Hamas, this issue was part of a dispassionate debate. Opposing the existence of only one among 200-plus nation-states, the only Jewish state, while shocking, was only theoretical. But once given the opportunity to demonstrate the
- [Is Israel an Anti-Democratic ‘Ethno-National State’?](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/07/isisraelantidemocratic070924/) - Israel is not a right-wing “ethno-national state”; it is, rather, the Middle East’s best example of a liberal democracy! by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD Israel’s enemies accuse the country of being an anti-democratic “ethno-national” state, an obstacle to advancing the dream of one unified world community. These accusers falsely equate Israel’s government with right-wing coalitions
- [Torah for This Hour | July 11, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/07/torahforthishour071124/) - This week marked 9 months since October 7th. Nine months of war. Nine months during which 120 of our brothers and sisters have been held hostage in Gaza. Nine months of deep crisis. The Hebrew word for “crisis” is מַשְׁבֵּר / mashber* and can take on additional meanings. Thus wrote Moshe Ibn Ezra (11th century
- [‘Acceptable’ Anti-Jewish Hatred Grows](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/07/focusacceptableantijewishhatredgrows070924/) - Anti-Israel Activists Attempt to Hijack American Education System BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES Anti-Jewish hatred is becoming so prevalent and accepted in American education that deans at a prestigious American university thought they could joke about it without repercussions. They boldly made light of antisemitism during a discussion about antisemitism. If not
- [Torah for This Hour | July 4, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/07/torahforthishour070424/) - Numbers Chapter 18 is the main Torah source of the concept of gifts to the Priesthood as understood by the Rabbis. Midrashim offer different explanations: Yalkut Shimoni understands that the Priests received them as reward for Aaron’s efforts to save the Israelites from the sin of the golden calf. Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer understands the gifts
- [The Blatant Hypocrisy in Anti-Israel Accusations](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/07/blatanthypocrisy070424/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD Israel is subjected to a “double standard” more severe than that applied to any other nation-state. Actually, the manner in which Israel is “judged” is far beyond “double”; it intentionally frames unachievable behavior. As noted by journalist Haviv Rettig Gur, in a podcast for Times of Israel, the magnitude of
- [July 4: Celebrating Freedom, Fighting Terror](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/07/focuscelebratingfreedomfightingterror070224/) - July 4: Celebrate American Values and Reject Terror, Antisemitism BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES We celebrate July 4 to honor the core American values of freedom, democracy and equality that have built and shaped our nation. The Jewish community has been an integral part of the American fabric since before the Revolutionary
- [Another fallacious accusation against the IDF: “collective punishment”](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/06/anotherfallaciousaccusationagainstidf062724/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD Among the false accusations leveled against the IDF is that of imposing “collective punishment,” which is a violation of international law governing humanitarian treatment of civilian populations. Collective punishment means penalizing an entire group for deeds carried out by someone else. Israel detractors are drawn to this canard because it
- [Torah for This Hour | June 27, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/06/torahforthishour062724/) - In the wilderness of Paran the sin of the spies took place — a transgression so grave that an entire generation was condemned to die in the wilderness. A Talmudic legend (b. Shabbat 89a-b) interprets the several names in the Torah for that wilderness. On the name “the wilderness of Paran” the Talmud explains: “because
- [Violence Against Jews Increases Worldwide](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/06/focusviolenceagainstjewsincreases062524/) - Antisemitic Wildfire: Violence Rapidly Spreads Worldwide BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES Increasingly vicious assaults on Jews around the world are forcing Jews to question their place in local communities. Anti-Jewish hatred knows no borders. From the rape of a 12-year-old Jewish girl in France to attacks on synagogues in Russia
- [MERCAZ USA Signatory on Conference of Presidents Letter to Wikimedia Foundation supporting ADL](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/06/copwikimediaadl062524/) - June 24, 2024 Wikimedia Foundation 1 Montgomery Street Suite 1600 San Francisco, CA 94104 Dear Members of the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees: As leading Jewish communal organizations, we express our concern and dismay by Wikipedia’s attack on ADL’s reliability on the topic of antisemitism and other issues of central concern to the Jewish community.
- [Torah for this Hour | June 20, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/06/torah-for-this-hour-june-20-2024/) - 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
- [Organizations Demand UN Secretary General Hold Hamas Accountable for Crimes Against Humanity](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/06/organizationsdemandunholdhamasaccountable061824/) - 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
- [Antisemitism in U.S. Reaches Fever Pitch](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/06/focusantisemitismreachesfeverpitch061824/) - ‘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
- [Torah for this Hour | June 13, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/06/torahforthishour061324/) - 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
- [Why Israel Fights: Heroic Rescue of Hostages](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/06/whyisraelfights061124/) - 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
- [Prerequisites for a two-state solution are not present](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/06/prerequisitesfortwostatesolutionnotpresent061024/) - 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
- [Torah for this Hour | June 6, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/06/torahforthishour060624/) - 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.
- [Torah for this Hour | May 23, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/05/torahforthishour052324/) - “The Eternal said to Moses…. ‘None shall defile himself for any [dead] person among his kin’.… You shall not profane My holy name’” (Lev. 21:1, 22:32). The shocking experiences we have undergone and continue to undergo this year contain a double danger. Of the first danger, the physical danger of war, none of us needs
- [Celebrating American Jewish Heritage Month](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/06/celebratingjewishheritagemonth053024/) - 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,
- [Defeating Evil Carries an Immense Cost](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/06/focusdefeatingevilcarriescost060424/) - 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
- [Israel Denounced for ‘Just’ War to Save Hostages, End Hamas](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/05/focusisraeldenouncedforjustwar052924/) - 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
- [Israel is the ‘very definition’ of resilience](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/05/israelthedefinitionofresilience052724/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD Listen to an audio version of this article by clicking here. In the aftermath of Iran’s shocking launch of 350 attack drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles against Israeli population centers, “Times of Israel” blogger Chavi Feldman asked: “What is resilience?” She herself responded: “I can pretty much guarantee that
- [Israel Demonized on Campuses and in International Courts](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/05/focusisraeldemonized052124/) - BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu and his defense minister could be subject to arrest if an international court has its way. Three leaders of the notorious Hamas terrorist organization also have been accused. This equal footing overlooks the fundamental differences between a democratic state defending its citizens
- [Torah for this Hour | May 16, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/05/torah-for-this-hour-may-16-2024/) - Five hundred, twenty five thousand, six hundred minutes. Five hundred, twenty five thousand moments so dear. Five hundred, twenty five thousand, six hundred minutes. How do you measure, measure a year? Those are the opening lyrics of the song I like most from the musical, “Rent.” How do you measure, how do you count, and
- [From Darkness to Light: Israel's Journey of Remembrance and Resilience](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/05/focusdarknesstolightisraelsresilience051424/) - BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – DISPELLING LIES – VOICES – STORIES Every year on Israel’s Memorial Day, national sirens sound heralding a moment of silence to honor the Israelis who lost their lives in wars past and present, or from acts of terror. Israelis stop what they are doing wherever they are, and
- [On Independence Day, do not take Israel’s existence for granted](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/05/donottakeisraelsexistenceforgranted051324/) - Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, Southern Front Commander Yigal Allon (to his right) and Yitzhak Rabin (between them) on the southern front during the 1948 War of Independence. (IDF / Wikipedia) Listen to an audio version of this article by clicking here. by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD My parents were born in the second decade of
- [Summarizing Hamas’ ‘battle plan’: Promoting Islamist ideology](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/05/hamasbattleplan050924/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD Muslims in the Middle East live in an increasingly religious environment. In contrast to groups of secular pragmatists like Fatah, Hamas promotes an Islamist message — via mosque sermons, radio and television broadcasts, social media, schoolrooms, youth movements, summer camps, and by honoring as civic heroes the “shahid,” the “martyr,” who
- [Antisemitism Awareness Act before the U.S. Senate](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/05/antisemitismawarenessussenate051024/) - MERCAZ USA is a signatory on this statement issued by the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations and the Jewish Federations of North America. Members of the United States Senate, We write to urge immediate passage of the Antisemitism Awareness Act. The purpose of this legislation is to assist the Department of Education in determining whether investigations
- [How to Mark Israel's National Days This Year](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/05/markisraelsnationaldays051024/) - This year, in the aftermath of the devastating October 7 attacks and ensuing war, the act of honoring our fallen IDF soldiers and terror victims carries new weight. Tragically, our list of individuals we must remember and pay tribute to this Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, has grown much longer. The recognition of Israel’s establishment
- [Torah for this Hour | May 9, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/05/torah-for-this-hour-may-9-2024/) - They who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.” (Ps. 126:5) Somehow that statement lacks of full comprehension of the depth of the pain. Sometimes sorrow simply colors everything, to the point that there is no joy in the outcome. In the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Ta‘anit, the Rabbis explained the verse as referring
- [Shadows of Fear: Jewish Students Branded as Outsiders](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/05/focusjewishstudentsbrandedoutsiders050724/) - BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES Israeli and Jewish communities around the world solemnly commemorated the 6,000,000 Jews killed in the Holocaust on May 6 – Yom HaShoah. They also honored the heroism of survivors and rescuers. This year’s theme of destroyed Jewish communities resonates with the Israelis traumatized by the Iran-backed 10/7 Hamas attack and American
- [Torah for this Hour | May 2, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/05/torah-for-this-hour-may-2-2024/) - “The world is in sorrow from Pesaḥ to Shavu’ot because of the crops and the trees. Therefore the Blessed Holy One commanded us to count those days…” (Abudraham). As long as the ripe crops were not harvested there was good reason for concern! Every moment was put to use to get to the end of
- [Tribute to a Historic Jewish-American Figure: Sen. Joseph Lieberman](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/05/tributejosephlieberman050124/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD Sen. Joseph Lieberman and Rabbi Alan Silverstein (1995). The recent, tragic passing of Sen. Joseph Lieberman leaves a void in Jewish advocacy. As recently as mid-March, the Senator published a column criticizing Chuck Schumer’s interference in the Israeli election process. Then, at the very end of his days, Lieberman joined
- [Antisemitism Awareness Act before Congress](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/05/antisemitismawarenesscongress050124/) - MERCAZ USA is a signatory on this statement issued by the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations and the Jewish Federations of North America. Members of the United States House of Representatives, We write to urge immediate passage of H.R. 6090, the Antisemitism Awareness Act. The purpose of this legislation is to
- [Campus Chaos: Violent Protesters Disrupt University Life Across America](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/05/focuscampuschaosviolentprotesters050124/) - BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES Pro-Hamas protestors at more than 50 universities – from Yale to Arizona State, from Minnesota to Texas and Canada to Australia – are engaged in major anti-Israel protests often with tent encampments aimed at disrupting campus life for all Americans. The protests are part of
- [Torah for This Hour | April 18, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/04/torahforthishour040824/) - Tzara‘at and Tikkun Olam: The Nexus The weekly Torah portions Tazria‘ and Metzora‘ deal with the appearance of tzara’at, a skin affliction, with its various physiological symptoms, from its diagnosis through the affected person’s isolation to the patient’s full purification and return to normal life. Even back then, in the time of the Rabbis, it
- [Torah for This Hour | April 25, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/04/torahforthishour042524/) - “How is a song born?” That’s what the singers ask in the Israeli children’s classic, The Sixteenth Lamb. And it’s actually a good question: How is a song written? How is the music composed? A song becomes popular when it is simple and easy to learn, when it brings different worlds together, music and words,
- [‘Let My People Go’: Israeli Hostages and Passover Celebration of Freedom](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/04/focusletmypeoplego042124/) - BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – DISPELLING MYTHS ‘Let My People Go’ Passover is the sacred holiday when Jews gather annually with their families to commemorate the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. The thought of celebrating this year’s holiday is unbearable for the Jewish families whose loved ones are still being
- [Menacing Iranian Threat: A Grim Reality for Israel, America and the World](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/04/focusmenacingiranianthreat041624/) - BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – DISPELLING MYTHS – VOICES – STORIES The unprecedented Iranian attack against Israel on April 13 terrorized the entire nation – proving that the Islamic Republic is dedicated to the destruction of Israel and the annihilation of the Jewish people. Iran launched more than 300 drones, rockets and
- [Israel Needs Steadfast Diaspora Support Not Only When It Is Being Hit](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/04/israelneedssteadfastdiasporasupport041624/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD Dr. Micah Goodman — a distinguished author and research fellow at Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem — said, in mid-October 2023, “I’m asking the lovers of Israel to make a neder now. To make a neder, to make a vow that, weeks and months from now, you will stand with
- [The ‘Empty Chair’ Initiative: Remember our Captives](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/04/wzoemptychairinitiative041524/) - Pesach is full of customs, foods and symbols that encourage us to remember and commemorate the Exodus from Egypt for generations. This year, when we sit down by the Seder table and praise Hashem for releasing us from Egypt and redeeming us, as we pour another glass of wine and leave a place for Eliyahu
- [Masorti and MERCAZ Olami Issue Statement on Iran's Attack on Israel](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/04/masortimercazstatementoniran041524/) - Masorti and MERCAZ Olami are shocked and vehemently condemn Iran’s recent missile and drone attacks on Israel. As we pray for the safety of everyone impacted and the healing of those injured, we express our strong unequivocal support for the State of Israel, its people and its right to defend itself. We thank our ally
- [Torah for this Hour | April 11, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/04/torahforthishour041124/) - In the morning … every morning … we stand and recite: “Blessed are You, Adonay, our God, Sovereign of the world, who releases captives.” Every morning, in the “verses of song” mood-setting passages from Psalms we recite Psalm 146 which includes the verse: “Who secures justice for those who are wronged, nourishes the hungry. God
- [BDS Aims to Crush Israel & Undermine American Support of Israel](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/04/focusbdsaimstocrushisrael040924/) - BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES A decades-long history of boycotts against Israel are intended to block all support of Israel, destroy the Jewish state and intimidate Jews. Two important studies reveal an “extraordinarily high correlation” between BDS activities on university campuses and anti-Jewish hatred and that faculty-support for BDS fuels anti-Jewish hostility. The
- [Do not weaponize the tragic death of seven aid workers](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/04/donotweaponizedeathofaidworkers040824/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD In a statement issued Tuesday evening, April 4, President Joe Biden said he was “outraged and heartbroken” by the killings of seven humanitarian workers from World Central Kitchen, one of whom was a dual-American national. This is an appropriate response to a wartime tragedy with the loss of humanitarian aid
- [Six Months After 10/7: Why Israel Must Continue to Fight](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/04/focussixmonthsisraelmustcontinuefighting040224/) - BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES At the six-month mark, Hamas continues to violate international law. Many across America and around the world seem to forget the simple fact that the basic tenet of Hamas is to destroy Israel and murder Jews worldwide – driving its ongoing campaign of violence and bloodshed. World
- [Masorti Leads Mass Purim Services in Hostage Square](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/03/masortipurimserviceshostagesquare032924/) - This article was provided by The Masorti Foundation and published on Friday, March 29, 2024 During the Purim period, we gathered twice in Hostage Square, to stand alongside the families of the hostages and express our hope that all would "be reversed", as in the Purim story. On the Fast of Esther (last Thursday), we
- [Torah for this Hour | March 28, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/03/torahforthishour032824/) - The red heifer is perhaps the biggest enigma of the Torah: just as it purifies the unclean, so it defiles the pure. Not to mention the question: How can the water of purification, made from heifer’s ashes along with other ingredients, eliminate impurity? Those engaged in the preparation of the red heifer were the priests
- [Hostage Negotiations with Hamas Intensify as Calls for Ceasefire Increase](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/03/focushostagenegotiationsintensify032624/) - BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – DISPELLING MYTHS – ACTIONS – STORIES U.S. and international pressure on Israel for a ceasefire intensifies as Israelis soon mark six months since the 10/7 attacks – and six months of relentless suffering for the families of hostages held in captivity. The United Nations Security Council recently adopted a resolution calling
- [Humanitarian aid as a Hamas weapon: Israel’s point of view](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/03/humanitarianaidasweapon032124/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD Joe Biden’s State of the Union address focused on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Listening to the president, one might believe that Israel alone has caused this suffering and that Israeli actions only are required as a remedy. “Israel must do its part,” Biden declared. “To the leadership of Israel I
- [Torah for this Hour | March 21, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/03/torah-for-this-hour-march-21-2024/) - These past few years have afforded us the opportunity to read new meanings into ancient words. Before COVID, “plague” was a strange and distant concept. Just last Sukkot, “captivity” and “redemption of captives” were peripheral concepts to us, and suddenly they are a part of our daily lives. With these are echoes of other ancient
- [Overcoming Adversity: Purim and the Resilience of Jewish Identity](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/03/focuspurimresilienceofidentity031924/) - BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES The ancient Jewish festival of Purim, celebrated this year on March 24, is a testament to resilience, courage and the triumph of good over evil. Purim celebrates the perseverance of Jews against one of the leaders of Persia – now Iran – who plotted to kill
- [Denialism of October 7 as a Hamas weapon](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/03/denialismweapon031424/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD Webster’s dictionary defines “denialism” as “the practice of denying the existence, truth, or validity of something despite proof or strong evidence that it is real, true, or valid.” Ever since testimony about the Nazi death camps spread, antisemites have employed Holocaust denialism of Nazi guilt. The deniers assert that Jews
- [Torah for this Hour | March 14, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/03/torahforthishour031424/) - And Moses was unable to enter the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud rested upon it and the Presence of the Eternal filled the Tabernacle. (Exod 40:39) In fog there is unity: all of us experience the same feeling of uprootedness. The same helplessness. The need to take action of some sort. For over 150
- [Silence and Denial: Global Response to Hamas Sex Crimes](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/03/focussilenceanddenial031224/) - BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES Women’s rights and achievements were just celebrated on International Women’s Day, while many still refuse to acknowledge the sexual assaults of Israeli girls and women by Iran-backed Hamas terrorists. The terrifying acts committed by Hamas are continuing against 19 Israeli female hostages who remain in captivity. There
- [Torah for this Hour | March 7, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/03/torahforthishour030724/) - In recent months, three buildings have been dedicated and opened their doors in Jerusalem, buildings that are meaningful far beyond the structures themselves: the new National Library of Israel building, the campus of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in the center of the city, and the covered tennis courts in the Malha neighborhood.
- [Targeting Israel at Schools Alienates Jewish Students and Strikes Fear](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/03/focustargetingisraelatschools030524/) - BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – DISPELLING FALSEHOODS – STORIES See our “Dispelling Falsehoods, Stating Facts” section to help address difficult questions about the conflict. “Jews are always told that we are not allowed to speak up for ourselves. You cannot allow yourself to be pushed out. We are showing resilience and strength. The
- [Is Israel’s approach toward dismantling Hamas ‘over the top’?](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/03/israeldismantlingoverthetop030424/) - In its vital aim of effecting regime change in Gaza, Israel is not the first country to grapple with collateral loss of life The ruins of Dresden in 1945. Facing south from the town hall ('Rathaus') tower. Photo some time between 17 September 1945 and 31 December 1945 (CC Deutsche Fotothek via Wikimedia) Joe Biden
- [Torah for this Hour | February 29, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/02/torah-for-this-hour-february-29-2024/) - A half-shekel donation on Purim, reading Parashat Shekalim just before Rosh Ḥodesh Adar—these practices recall the annual gift to the Tabernacle/Temple. Its origin is in the census ordered in Parashat Ki Tissa, where everyone was counted by giving a half-shekel. Why? This is not a donation but a “ransom” intended to save the donor from
- [Iranian Threat to Israel Escalates on Northern Border](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/02/focusiranianthreattoisrael022724/) - BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES See our “Dispelling Falsehoods, Stating Facts” section to help address difficult questions about the conflict. Communities in northern Israel are virtually ghost towns, while the world’s attention is focused on the war in Gaza. Those towns in the north mirror the villages near Gaza that
- [From Israel: A Message from our Executive Director](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/02/executivedirectorsisraelmessage022624/) - MERCAZ USA Executive Director Sarrae Crane has been in Israel for the last week and a half on the annual mission of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. She shares her thoughts about what she has seen and heard with us in this video message:
- [International Day of Social Justice](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/02/internationaldaysocialjustice/) - Bulletin Released on February 22, 2024 This week marks the International Day of Social Justice, which gives us an opportunity to reflect on the reality in which we live in, and our place within it. One of the most prominent tensions in Judaism in the post-modern era is the tension between the community (the collective)
- [Torah for this Hour | February 22, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/02/torahforthishour022224/) - On February 24, 2022, the lives of many people in Ukraine changed beyond recognition. Plans and dreams were shattered in an instant. Loss, destruction, terror, and uncertainty burst into people’s lives. I, like many of my friends, will never forget that day. That year in March we celebrated Purim together in Czernowitz, which is where
- [Entering Rafah: War on Hamas Reaches Critical Point](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/02/focusenteringrafah022024/) - BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES – PHOTOS IN THE NEWS See our “Dispelling Falsehoods, Stating Facts” section to help address difficult questions about the conflict. The murderous 10/7 terrorist attack was executed with ruthless precision, designed to maximize casualties, kidnap civilians – including children – and instill fear in the Israeli population.
- [Torah for this Hour | February 15, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/02/torahforthishour021524/) - The Ark of the Covenant (aron ha-‘edut) is the first item on the list of furnishings that the Israelites were commanded to construct in preparation for setting up the Tabernacle (mishkan). The task of that piece of furniture is to store and safeguard the sign of the covenant between the Eternal and His people. Some
- [UN's Alarming Complicity: Hamas Exploits  UN Premises for Terrorism ...](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/02/focusunalarmingcomplicity021324/) - ... Anti-Jewish Attacks Masked as Anti-Zionism Spread Worldwide BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES – PHOTOS IN THE NEWS See our expanded “Dispelling Falsehoods, Stating Facts” section to help address difficult questions about the conflict Relieved Israelis applauded the safe return of two Israeli civilians in a heroic commando rescue
- [Why Israeli ‘occupation’ of the West Bank and Gaza has lasted since 1967 ](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/02/whyisraelioccupation020824/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD What, according to international law, is “occupation”? Land acquired as the result of an unjust warfare — a war of aggression — is characterized as “occupied territory.” This has been the case in China’s conquest and continued occupation of Tibet since 1950, Turkey’s conquest and occupation of one third of Cyprus since the early 1970s, and
- [Torah for this Hour | February 8, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/02/torahforthishour020824/) - Among the fifty-three mitzvot in Parashat Mishpatim, two stand out: returning a lost animal and helping load and unload the burden on a beast. Two mitzvot that require us to help others. Who are those others whom we are bidden to help? The Torah’s language is very clear: “Should you encounter your enemy’s ox or
- [Hatred Against Jews Flows Down From Campuses to Kindergartens](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/02/focushatredagainstjewsflows020624/) - BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – VOICES – STORIES MAKING NEWS Pro-Palestinian and even pro-Hamas marches on university campuses and new reports of students harassing Jewish students at K-12 schools across the country are increasing at an alarming rate. The ADL has registered hundreds of anti-Jewish and anti-Israel attacks in public and
- [Torah for this Hour | February 1, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/02/torah-for-this-hour-february-1-2024/) - “The Ten Commandments for a Happy Life,” “The Ten Commandments for Staying in Shape,” “... for Good Parenting,” et cetera. It seems we are all looking for rules that will enable us to live better lives, to be happier and more relaxed and content. We live in a complicated, chaotic world. Vast amounts of information,
- [Is Zionism racism?](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/01/iszionismracism013124/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD Thirty years ago, in his book “A Place Among the Nations,” Bibi Netanyahu observed that even beyond its army, its technological advances, and its service to global humanitarian causes, “Israel’s great shield … was its moral stature.” Natan Sharansky noted that Israel’s enemies have sought to erode its moral stature
- [UN Agency Fuels Hamas Terrorism](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/01/focusunfuelsterrorism013024/) - BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES – PHOTOS IN THE NEWS The United Nations has a decades-long track record of bashing Israel and using the Jewish state as the scapegoat for the world’s problems. Recent headlines: UN Palestinian employees were among the terrorists during the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks The U.S.,
- [Israel does not meet the definition of settler-colonialism](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/01/zionismnotcolonialism012524/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD A popular canard leveled against Israel and Zionism is that of allegedly being rooted in “settler-colonialism.” Rabbi Bradley Artson, dean and vice-president of Conservative Judaism’s Ziegler School of Rabbinical Studies, posted a blog entry, in which he lamented: “This week I have been inundated by hateful and violent antisemitic email
- [Torah for this Hour | January 25, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/01/torahforthishour012524/) - The Children of Israel left Egypt and stood on the banks of the Reed Sea. From where shall come their salvation? The sources suggest three possibilities: Tanchuma Shoftim 14: Moses said to them, “There is nothing for you to do except to stand silently and the Holy One will fight your wars." According to this
- [Perverse Hamas Priorities: Build Tunnels, Deny Rapes, Spread Conspiracy Theories](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/01/focusperversepriorities012324/) - BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES MAKING NEWS Billions of dollars of humanitarian aid have poured into Gaza since Israel withdrew from the territory in 2005. Massive amounts of the money have been used by Hamas to build a vast tunnel network, manufacture rockets and incite Palestinians to hate Jews and Israelis. Gaza
- [Torah for this Hour | January 19, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/01/torahforthishour011924/) - From their first encounter, he understands that he is dealing with someone unusual. Someone who succeeds in places where his ministers fail. Maybe that’s because he grew up with him in the palace (but we don’t talk about that). His demands are high, so he answers, “No.” The second encounter is already more dramatic. Throughout
- [Lies and Propaganda: Hamas Supporters Disrupt American Life](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/01/focusliesandpropaganda011724/) - BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES MAKING NEWS ================================================ Anti-Israel, pro-Hamas activists are hijacking local government agendas across the U.S. to spread false propaganda that defames Israel and pressures politicians to act against the Jewish state, and Jews in much of the world. Activists also are targeting Americans on the streets,
- [Torah for this Hour | January 11, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/01/torahforthishour011124/) - When Moshe approaches Pharaoh, he must feel a sea of emotions. He returns to the house that banished him, to those who oppressed his people for hundreds of years. It would be understandable if Moshe dreamt of revenge--if not for himself, then for his enslaved people. But Moshe brings neither his personal interests nor his
- [Letter to UN: 59+ Organizations Calling for an Independent Investigation Into Hamas' Sexual Violence](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/01/lettertotheun010424/) - January 4, 2024 His Excellency Mr. Antonio Guterres Secretary-General of the United Nations 760 United Nations Plaza New York, NY 10017 Cc: Ms. Sima Sami Bahous Executive Director, UN Women 405 East 42nd Street New York, NY 10017 Cc: Ms. Ana Peláez Narváez Chairperson, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
- [Are Americans abandoning Israel?](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/01/areamericansabandoningisrael/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD Day after day, news reports document Israeli air strikes against Hamas targets inside Gaza. Pro-Hamas demonstrators gain coverage by disrupting airports, Christmas tree lightings, Jewish institutional life. Anti-Israel politicians and civic leaders conduct headlining protests. To the consumer of current events, concern mounts that American citizens will turn against the
- [100 Days of War: Israelis Under Attack, Jews Still Traumatized](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/01/focus100daysofwar010924/) - BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES MAKING NEWS ================================================ It has been 100 days since the lives of Jews and Israelis were changed forever, traumatized by the heinous atrocities committed by the Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists on 10/7. The effects of the attacks are still being felt by American Jews and Israelis
- [Support Masorti’s Emergency War Campaign](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/01/masortiemergencywarcampaign/) - The Masorti Movement, NOAM, and our kehillot run various activities to help those affected by the war in Gaza, from spiritual and physical assistance to evacuees to providing chairs for shiva houses, from preparing meals for soldiers to programming for evacuee children. We have initiated programming based on information available during the first days of
- [After the March: What Can I Do?](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/11/copresources/) - Thank you for attending and/or supporting the March for Israel on November 14, 2023. So as not to lose the momentum and engagement of this historic event, the Conference of Presidents and the Jewish Federations have compiled a list of things individuals can do right now to show solidarity with the hostages, support Israel,
- [Torah for this Hour | January 4, 2024](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/01/torahforthishour010424/) - “Take My people, the Children of Israel, out from Egypt.” That is the order that Moses receives from God at the burning bush. To be the sole leader, the liberator. Who would pass up such an honor? And yet Moses refuses. He says to God: “Who am I that I should go?” And what happens
- [Honoring Bravery in the Face of Terrorism](https://www.mercazusa.org/2024/01/focushonoringbravery010324/) - BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES MAKING NEWS ================================================ Israelis and Americans – Jews and non-Jews – become a formidable force when they unite against threats. In the face of challenges, this unity becomes powerful proof of strength derived from diversity – transcending religious and cultural boundaries. Israel’s cultural mosaic promotes
- [Torah for this Hour | December 29, 2023](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/12/torahforthishour122923/) - Jacob’s blessings, instructions and prophecies to his children and King David's instructions to Solomon before he dies (this week’s Haftarah) feels extra poignant to me this year in which both my parents passed. It has led me to think … If I were to create my own Pirke Avot, with advice that I inherited from
- [Rejecting Misconceptions: Hamas-Israel War](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/12/focusrejectingmisconceptions122623/) - This content is developed by The Focus Project in partnership with Mercaz USA. The Focus Project distributes weekly news and talking points on timely issues concerning Israel and the Jewish people, including antisemitism, anti-Zionism and the delegitimization of Israel. It represents a consensus view across a spectrum of major American Jewish organizations. Mercaz USA recognizes
- [Torah for this Hour | December 21, 2023](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/12/torahforthishour122123/) - At the beginning of this week’s parashah (Vayyigash), Joseph and his brothers recall the arguments and tensions between them, and express remorse for the suffering they’d caused their aged father, now 130 years old. In their moments of reconciliation, we witness their profound emotions and the responsibility that they come to own. Joseph implores his
- [Conflicting Narratives and Consequences of Hamas War Target Israel](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/12/focusconflictingnarratives121923/) - This content is developed by The Focus Project in partnership with Mercaz USA. The Focus Project distributes weekly news and talking points on timely issues concerning Israel and the Jewish people, including antisemitism, anti-Zionism and the delegitimization of Israel. It represents a consensus view across a spectrum of major American Jewish organizations. Mercaz USA recognizes
- [Hatred of Israel is Endangering American Jews](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/12/copnytad121723/) - On Sunday, December 17, 2023, the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations placed the following ad in The New York Times. We encourage you to share this message with your friends and communities to make them aware of this campaign. We also suggest you encourage others to share this ad to their social and
- [Torah for this Hour | December 14, 2023](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/12/torah-for-this-hour-december-14-2023/) - The hour is late, very late. A time of bloodshed, and existential angst. A solution to the conflict appears to be further away than ever. Individuals and peoples all have their own interests at heart. We inhabit our trauma, and they theirs. How is one to find any hope in such a reality? The evil
- [Congressional Action Alert for Israel - Keep Calling!](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/12/actionalertforisrael/) - Last week, MERCAZ USA joined with The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and Jewish Federations in leading the American Jewish community’s National Mobilization Week. The effort was hugely successful with tens of thousands of calls made into Congress, and we cannot stop now. With Congress deliberating over an unprecedented aid package, we
- [Anti-Jewish Hatred Surges Amid University Backlash](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/12/focusuniversityhatredsurges121223/) - This content is developed by The Focus Project in partnership with Mercaz USA. The Focus Project distributes weekly news and talking points on timely issues concerning Israel and the Jewish people, including antisemitism, anti-Zionism and the delegitimization of Israel. It represents a consensus view across a spectrum of major American Jewish organizations. Mercaz USA recognizes
- [A Hanukkah Playlist](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/12/hanukkahplaylist/) - Happy Hanukkah from MERCAZ USA! Please enjoy this Hanukkah Playlist we have compiled. You can listen to a preview here. Click the 'Listen on Amazon Music' link to sign into your Amazon account and listen to the entire 90 minute playlist! 
- [Sign Up for The 10/7 Project Daybook](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/12/107project/) - To sign up to receive the daily email from the 10/7 Project, click here For more information about the 10/7 Project, click here Press Release Leading U.S. Jewish Organizations Launch ‘The 10/7 Project,’ a New Centralized Communications Operation to Promote Continued U.S. Bipartisan Support for Israel; Push for Accurate, Complete Coverage of Israel-Hamas War;
- [Torah for this Hour | December 8, 2023](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/12/torahforthishour120823/) - Being an Israeli Jew in this moment in time means praying prayers that are thousands of years old, which sound as if they were composed just yesterday. Modeh ani - I thank you God, that I am here, even as I recognize that many of us are no longer here, and can no longer thank
- [Hanukkah – Flames of Hope Burn During Another Dark Time for Jews](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/12/focushanukkahflames120523/) - This content is developed by The Focus Project in partnership with Mercaz USA. The Focus Project distributes weekly news and talking points on timely issues concerning Israel and the Jewish people, including antisemitism, anti-Zionism and the delegitimization of Israel. It represents a consensus view across a spectrum of major American Jewish organizations. Mercaz USA recognizes
- [Ongoing Updates and Talking Points from the Consulate General of Israel in New York](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/11/consulatenyupdates/) - The information below is housed in this Google Doc that is updated frequently. As of 5:00 p.m. EST | Thursday, November 30, 2023 Updated Numbers 250,000+ Israelis are currently displaced after being forced to flee their homes due to ongoing rocket fire in Israel’s south from Hamas, and Israel’s north from Hezbollah. 1,200+ people murdered,
- [Special “Israel at War” Briefing: The rise in antisemitism and impact on our worldwide Masorti/Conservative communities](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/11/special-israel-at-war-briefing-the-rise-in-antisemitism-and-impact-on-our-worldwide-masorti-conservative-communities/) - Since October 7, our communities have been glued to media outlets, trying to understand what is happening in Israel and how they could help. When the IDF started attacking the Gaza Strip, there was a shift in public opinion, and the number of antisemitic incidents increased dramatically. Hear more about the impact on our communities
- [Hope and Silence: Hostages Return Home; Feminists Ignore Hamas Rape](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/11/focushopeandsilence112823/) - This content is developed by The Focus Project in partnership with Mercaz USA. The Focus Project distributes weekly news and talking points on timely issues concerning Israel and the Jewish people, including antisemitism, anti-Zionism and the delegitimization of Israel. It represents a consensus view across a spectrum of major American Jewish organizations. Mercaz USA recognizes
- [Giving Thanks for Support and Solidarity: Friends of Jews and Israel Stand Strong Together](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/11/focusgivingthanks112023/) - This content is developed by The Focus Project in partnership with Mercaz USA. The Focus Project distributes weekly news and talking points on timely issues concerning Israel and the Jewish people, including antisemitism, anti-Zionism and the delegitimization of Israel. It represents a consensus view across a spectrum of major American Jewish organizations. Mercaz USA recognizes
- [Torah for this Hour | November 16, 2023](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/11/torahforthishour111623/) - This is Our God, “Ein Od”, “There is Nothing Else.” We pray these words in the “Aleinu” prayer in which we declare our loyalty to “Ein Od.” “Efes Zulato- There is nothing but.” We are part of the Holy One, and as a part of God, we must always promote the Truth and repair the
- [Torah for this Hour | November 9, 2023](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/11/torahforthishour110923/) - Parashat Vayyera ends with the story of the ‘Akedah, the Binding of Isaac, in which—according to the midrash Yalkut Shim‘oni—Avraham fights against the order he had been given and refuses to bind his son for sacrifice, until the Holy One arranges an alternative sacrifice for Avraham to offer up. At that point, Parashat Ḥayyei Sarah
- [Timely Witness: Holding Fast to Life, Even Now](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/timelywitness101123/)
- [Focus Project: Jewish Fear and Suffering Intensifies in Israel and America](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/focusjewishfearintensifies/) - “Hamas is a group whose stated purpose for being is to kill Jews.” – President Biden As Israel mourns its losses and attempts to rescue hostages, it faces mounting threats from new directions. While a second U.S. carrier fleet steams toward the Middle East, 2,000 American troops are on their way and President Biden’s visit shows
- [Timely Witness: A Message From the Rabbi of Masorti Kehillat Eshel Avraham](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/timelywitnessrabbidavid/) - Timely Witness Rabbi Mijael Even David Rabbi of Masorti (Conservative) Kehillat Eshel Avraham | Beersheva, Israel Those who know me, have known me as a man of peace. For years I have participated in interfaith projects and groups, including with Palestinian clergy. I believe in the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination
- [Israel at War: Torah for this Hour](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/torahforthishour102623/) - “And YHWH said to Avram, ‘Go forth …!’” Thus begins one of our foundational stories. Where is he to go? To what place? To what country? In that first revelation God asks Avraham to give up everything he had known, everything that was familiar. His home, his household, his extended family. To let go of
- [Torah for this Hour | November 2, 2023](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/11/torahforthishour110223/) - Unlike Abraham, who demonstrated initiative, Noah was passive. Noah indeed did as the Eternal commanded him, but no more than that—except for one thing: “And Noah built an altar to YHWH… and he offered up burnt offerings on the altar.” What sacrifice did he offer? Perhaps it was a sin offering, or perhaps a
- [Strong Leadership Can Fight Anti-Jewish Hatred With Words and Actions](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/11/focusstrongleadership111523/) - This content is developed by The Focus Project in partnership with Mercaz USA. The Focus Project distributes weekly news and talking points on timely issues concerning Israel and the Jewish people, including antisemitism, anti-Zionism and the delegitimization of Israel. It represents a consensus view across a spectrum of major American Jewish organizations. Mercaz USA recognizes
- [‘From the River to the Sea’ – False Words as Weapons](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/11/focusfalsewordsasweapons/) - This content is developed by The Focus Project in partnership with Mercaz USA. The Focus Project distributes weekly news and talking points on timely issues concerning Israel and the Jewish people, including antisemitism, anti-Zionism and the delegitimization of Israel. It represents a consensus view across a spectrum of major American Jewish organizations. Mercaz USA recognizes
- [WATCH THE RECORDING: March for Israel | November 14, 2023 in Washington, D.C.](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/11/marchforisrael111423/) - If you were not able to attend the event or watch it live, you can watch the full recording of today's historic March for Israel here: MARCH FOR ISRAEL TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2023 National Mall, Washington, DC: 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. EST Gates open 10:00 a.m. BE THERE, BE HEARD. This event brought together
- [#BringThemHomeNow | Hear from the Families of those Being Held Hostage](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/11/bringthemhomenow/) - On October 7th, Hamas terrorists broke through the Israel-Gaza border and captured over 240 people hostage from within Israel. Men, women, children, babies and the elderly. Almost all continue to be held in Gaza. All the hostages taken during Hamas' attack must be brought home NOW. Join J-Link and our member organizations, in partnership with
- [What Can We Do? A Conversation with Rachel Goldberg, Mother of Abducted son Hersh](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/11/convsersationrachelgoldberg/) - On November 2, 2023, a Zoom conversation was held with Rachel Goldberg, Mother of Hersh who was abducted by Hamas into Gaza. This was an event that was both heartbreaking and important. Hundreds of participants heard about Hersh and prayed for his return, together with all those who have been abducted. We would like to
- [AZM and Israel Forever Foundation Launch #bluewhiteunity](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/bluewhiteunity/) - In memory of those murdered, in hope of peace for our nation, Wear Your BLUE and WHITE On Monday, 22 Cheshvan (November 6, 2023) - the Shloshim (30) of the Simchat Torah Massacre. Let us stand proudly in our national colors and show our unity as the People of Israel. As a family, as a
- [Jewish Students Unite for Israel](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/jewishstudentsuniteforisrael/) - REGISTER NOW
- [Support Schechter’s Israel Emergency Campaign](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/schechteremergencycampaign/) - Support Schechter’s Efforts to Assist the People of Israel in Our Time of Strife! Make a Donation from the United States Helping the City of Ofakim: Dr. Yael Rakov Drori, an active member of the Schechter Institute Executive Committee, has been volunteering in the Development Town of Ofakim for over 14 years in various positions
- [Israel at War: A Powerful Briefing with MERCAZ USA Executive Director, Sarrae Crane](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/mercazusaisraelbriefing102323/) - Last week (week of October 22, 2023) the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, of which MERCAZ USA is a member, held a solidarity mission to Israel. Our Executive Director, Sarrae Crane, represented us on the mission. On Monday October 23, 2023 Sarrae provided us with a powerful briefing on the mission, and
- [Tell Congress to Condemn Antisemitism on College Campuses](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/adlantisemitismoncampus/) - In the aftermath of Hamas’ massacre of over 1,400 people in Israel, anger over Israel’s response targeting Hamas and other terrorists in Gaza is fueling the flames of hate on college and university campuses in the U.S. Jewish students are being assaulted, intimidated, and harassed because of their beliefs. Congress must send a clear signal
- [Masorti Solidarity Shabbat Launches Today (October 26-29, 2023)](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/solidarityshabbatlaunches/) - Today (Thursday, October 26. 2023) we launch our weekend of events around Solidarity Shabbat of the Conservative/Masorti movement with unwavering solidarity with our family and friends in Israel. Thank you all for your support of this initiative and for the robust representation and projects. Our movement organizations offer distinct ways our communities can show support
- [Conference of Presidents Categorically Condemns UN Secretary-General Guterres' Legitimization of Terror and Antisemitism](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/copstatementonun/) - October 24, 2023, New York, NY ... Harriet P. Schleifer, Chair, and William Daroff, CEO, of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, issued the following statement: "We categorically condemn United Nations Secretary-General Guterres' comments rationalizing the October 7 terrorist attacks by the Hamas Terrorist Army, which resulted in the worst massacre of
- [MERCAZ USA in Israel: We Will Prevail](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/wewillprevail/) - October 20, 2023 | For Immediate Release: Throughout Israel – from the El Al pilot, to TV news graphics, to bumper stickers – the slogan that represents Israel in this moment is יחד ננצח – Yahad Nenatze’ah – Together We Will Prevail. The Israel that we experienced this week is a different Israel than existed
- [Conservative Movement Declares Solidarity Shabbat (October 26-29)](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/conservative-movement-declares-solidarity-shabbat-october-26-29/) - Our hearts are broken but our faith is unwavering; in these difficult days we are mourning the deaths of over 1,400 of our Israeli family and many international citizens from the horrific terrorist attacks on Israelis and global citizens on October 7th; we are advocating and praying for the over 200 kidnapped Israelis being held
- [Hamas Second Stage Assault – Media Distortion](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/mediadistortion/) - by Rabbi Alan Silverstein in Modiin Israel Blogger Jack Levy wrote – “when a hospital explodes in Gaza, ask: Who is happy, who is relived, and who is upset? Spoiler alert: it’s Hamas and its partners that benefit. On October 7, Hamas monsters with ISIS-style cruelty stormed the two dozen kibbutzim and yishuvim in Israel’s
- [World Zionist Organization: Shabbat of World Unity (October 20, 2023)](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/worldunityshabbat/) - On Friday 5 Cheshvan 5784 - October 20, 2023 – Parshat Noach - MERCAZ USA joins in the Worldwide Unity Kabbalat Shabbat initiative of the World Zionist Organization, Jewish Agency for Israel, and Israel Ministry of Diaspora. Kabbalat Shabbat is a moment that unites Jews around the world. As Israel is experiencing this most
- [Praying for the Return of the Captives and Missing](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/prayingforcaptives/) - Members of NOAM with Masorti CEO Rakefet Ginsberg, after the prayer circle with families of the captives in Gaza and missing from the terrorist attack, held yesterday outside the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv. Praying for the Return of the Captives and Missing It is a time of trouble for Jacob, but he shall be
- [The War on Israel: What's Next with Times of Israel commentator Tal Schneider](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/whatsnexttalschneider/) - On Tuesday, October 17, Mercaz Olami and Masorti Olami presented a webinar with the diplomatic and political correspondent for The Times of Israel and frequent commentator on Israeli radio and TV - Tal Schneider. The award-winning Israeli journalist spoke about the diplomatic aspects of the current war against the terrorist group Hamas: What happens when
- [Unity in Crisis: A Special Presentation from the Conference of Presidents](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/unity-in-crisis-a-special-presentation-from-the-conference-of-presidents/) - On October 17. the Conference of Presidents presented “Unity in Crisis: Emergency Solidarity Mission for Israel” in Washington, D.C. If you missed the live broadcast, you can watch it here: Over 300 leaders from across the Jewish community gathered to advocate with and hear from Congressional and Administration leadership. Speakers included Senate Majority Leader
- [#BlueRibbonsforIsrael](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/blueribbonsforisrael/) - Join the Blue Ribbon Campaign, organized by JFNA and co-sponsored by USCJ and the RA, to show support and solidarity for the safe return of the hostages taken by Hamas terrorists in Israel. Learn more here or fill out this form to join as a sponsoring organization. Place your bulk ribbon order by clicking here.
- [#KidnppedFromIsrael](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/kidnppedfromisrael/) - BH, Jerusalem, Cheshvan 1, 5784 October 16, 2023 "I seek my brothers" (Genesis 37:16) On Shabbat, Shemini Atzeret, 22 Tishrei/October 7, with the infiltration of terrorists from Gaza into Israeli border communities, where they brutally attacked residents, approximately 200 innocent civilians, including infants, children, women, and the elderly, were abducted, many of them beaten, injured,
- [Solidarity with Israel and Latest Updates: A Community Wide Briefing](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/ajccommunitybriefing101323/) - On Friday, October 13, the AJC held a community wide briefing, "Solidarity with Israel and Latest Updates." You can view the briefing on the AJC website. (Please note: external speakers featured represent their individual beliefs and are not speaking as representatives of the sponsoring organizations.) In addition, the AJC is providing these additional resources: Community-Wide
- [AZM launches Israel Emergency Relief Fund](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/azm-launches-israel-emergency-relief-fund/) - Yesterday the AZM Leadership Cabinet approved the creation of an AZM Israel Emergency Relief Fund to support crisis response work on the ground in Israel, in close partnership with the World Zionist Organization. The link for fund information and donations is: https://azm.org/israel-relief/. We will be sharing this widely with our network as well as with
- [Israel at War: Masorti & MERCAZ Olami Stands with Israel](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/israelatwar/) - We at MERCAZ USA are horrified by the Hamas attack that has left our brothers and sisters in Israel in the midst of war. Now, more than ever, it is critical that we remain engaged and come together to show our love and support for the people of Israel. We join Masorti and MERCAZ Olami
- [Conference of Presidents Stand in Support of Israel](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/conferenceofpresidentsstatement100923/) - The Conference of Presidents Stand United in Support of Israel October 9, 2023, New York, NY ... Below, please find a statement from Harriet P. Schleifer, Chair, and William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, followed by a consensus statement from 48 Conference of Presidents Member Organizations: "The brutal,
- [World Zionist Organization Opens Aid Hotline](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/wzoaidhotline/) - Dear friends, At the peak of our holiday festivities, the State of Israel awoke to an unprecedented attack against its citizens. Rockets were fired in all directions, our sovereign territory was invaded, entire families were wiped out in their homes, children were severely harmed, and civilians and families were abducted and taken to Gaza, the
- [Special Briefing with Major General (res) Noam Tibon](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/specialbriefing100923/) - Better understand the current situation in Israel and the IDF's next steps based on the analysis of Major Tibon, who spent his military career specializing in counterterrorism and internal security. In the surprise attack on Israel which took place on October 7, Hamas terrorists penetrated Kibbutz Nahal Oz, where his son Amir Tibon and family
- [Remarks by President Biden on the Terrorist Attacks in Israel](https://www.mercazusa.org/2023/10/presidentbidenremarks101123/) - October 11, 2023 Friends, As President Biden said during his remarks yesterday, "the terrorist attacks in Israel have brought to the surface painful memories and the scars left by a millennia of antisemitism and genocide of the Jewish people." "So, in this moment, we must be crystal clear: We stand with Israel. And we will
- [Mercaz Reads Israel Book Club - Inaugural Webinar: A Rabbis Daughter](https://www.mercazusa.org/2020/04/mercaz-reads-israel-book-club-inaugural-webinar-a-rabbis-daughter/) - Watch the inaugural webinar for the MERCAZ READS ISRAEL book club!On Wednesday, April 22, Mercaz USA launched our online book club – MERCAZ Reads Israel – featuring contemporary Israeli literature that provides insight into and understanding of the lives and concerns of our Israeli counterparts.This new, exciting initiative is a partnership between Mercaz USA and
- [MERCAZ Reads Israel - 'A Rabbi's Daughter' Discussion With Author Avigail Graetz](https://www.mercazusa.org/2020/05/mercaz-reads-israel-a-rabbis-daughter-discussion-with-author-avigail-graetz/) - Join us for our first MERCAZ Reads Israel Book Club Meeting!Discuss our first book selection, ‘A Rabbi’s Daughter ‘ with author Avigail Graetz on Tuesday, June 2, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. EDT.Register for our Zoom Webinar on June 2 at 1:00 p.m. EDTMERCAZ Reads Israel is an online book club featuring contemporary Israeli literature that
- [An Accidental Memoirist: Mercaz Reads Israel, "If All The Seas Were Ink"](https://www.mercazusa.org/2020/08/an-accidental-memoirist-mercaz-reads-israel-if-all-seas-were-ink/) - Ilana Kurshan is the author of If All the Seas Were Ink, published in 2017 by St. Martin’s Press. She has translated books of Jewish interest by Ruth Calderon, Benjamin Lau, and Micah Goodman, as well as novels, short stories, and children’s picture books. Her book Why Is This Night Different From Other Nights was
- [Mercaz Reads Israel Book Club Meeting: 'If All Seas Were Ink'](https://www.mercazusa.org/2020/12/mercaz-reads-israel-book-club-meeting-if-all-seas-were-link/) - Discussing ‘If All The Seas Were Ink’ with author Ilana Kurshan on September 23, 2020:
- [Mercaz Reads Israel: Diving Into the Israel Experience](https://www.mercazusa.org/2020/12/mercaz-reads-israel-diving-into-the-israel-experience/) - In the midst of the emerging pandemic and in the wake of the World Zionist Congress election campaign, MERCAZ USA launched an online book club featuring contemporary Israeli literature that provides insight into and understanding of the lives and concerns of our Israeli counterparts: MERCAZ READS ISAREL, a partnership between MERCAZ USA, MERCAZ Canada, MERCAZ
- [MERCAZ Reads Israel: Watch Our Book Club Discussion About "All The Rivers"](https://www.mercazusa.org/2021/07/mercaz-reads-israel-watch-our-book-club-discussion-about-all-the-rivers/) - Our most recent MERCAZ READS ISRAEL book selection was All The Rivers, a novel by Dorit Rabinyan A controversial, award-winning story about the passionate but untenable affair between an Israeli woman and a Palestinian man. Banned from classrooms by Israel’s Ministry of Education, this remarkable novel is a bold portrayal of the strains – and
- [Diving Into the Israel Experience: Mercaz Reads Israel](https://www.mercazusa.org/2021/07/mercazreadsisrael072021/) - In the midst of the emerging pandemic and in the wake of the World Zionist Congress election campaign, MERCAZ USA launched an online book club featuring contemporary Israeli literature that provides insight into and understanding of the lives and concerns of our Israeli counterparts: MERCAZ READS ISRAEL, a partnership between MERCAZ USA, MERCAZ Canada, MERCAZ
- [MERCAZ Reads Israel: Catch Up With Our First Book & Get Ready for Our Second Meeting!](https://www.mercazusa.org/2020/07/mercaz-reads-israel-catch-up-with-our-first-book-and-get-ready-for-our-second-meeting/) - This past spring, MERCAZ USA launched our online book club, MERCAZ Reads Israel. MERCAZ Reads Israel is an opportunity for lovers of books and Israel to read literature from contemporary Israeli authors. Our goal is to select books that provide insights to, and understanding of, the lives and concerns of our Israeli counterparts.If you missed
- [Mercaz Reads Israel Book Club Meeting | Hope Valley](https://www.mercazusa.org/2021/10/mercaz-reads-israel-book-club-meeting-hope-valley/) - On October 21, 2021, MERCAZ Reads Israel held our fourth book club meeting to discuss Rabbi Haviva Ner-David’s novel, Hope Valley, with the author.Hope Valley is the story of two women who come together to form the unlikeliest of friendships. Tikvah, a Jewish-Israeli second-generation Holocaust survivor, is a frustrated artist with multiple sclerosis and a

## Pages

- [Home](https://www.mercazusa.org/) - MERCAZ USA is the US branch of MERCAZ OLAMI, representing Masorti Judaism in the World Zionist Organization and Congress, the Jewish Agency for Israel, & more.
- [Leadership](https://www.mercazusa.org/who-we-are/leadership/) - PresidentRabbi Hillel SkolnikSecretaryRabbi Eric LeidermanTreasurerYuval Brokman Vice PresidentsRabbi Eytan HammermanRabbi Nolan LebovitzNaomi Yadin-MendickRachel RussoPast President Members of the Executive CommitteeRichard HelfandMarilyn WindExecutive DirectorRabbi Loren SykesCommuncations StrategistHoward Goldberg Past PresidentsRichard Helfand (2021-2024)Marilyn Wind (2016 – 2021)Janet Tobin (2011 – 2016)Stephen Wolnek * (2006 – 2010)Vernon Kurtz (2002 – 2006)Evelyn Seelig * (1998 – 2002)Roy Clements *
- [Contact Us](https://www.mercazusa.org/who-we-are/contact-us/) - Sarrae Crane, Executive Director3080 Broadway, Suite 219New York, NY 10027Phone: 212-533-2061info@mercazusa.org Name(Required) First Last Email(Required) Phone(Required)Subject(Required)Comments/Message(Required)CAPTCHA Submit Δ
- [Vote MERCAZ](https://www.mercazusa.org/votemercaz2025/) - American Zionist Movement Certifies Results of 2025 World Zionist Congress Election: MERCAZ USA Captures 19 Seats Registration and voting was open from March 10th through May 4, 2025 .American Zionist Movement Certifies Results of 2025 World Zionist Congress ElectionHistoric Victory for MERCAZ USA & Conservative/Masorti MovementMERCAZ USA Applauds Historic Victory for Conservative Movement, Reaffirms Commitment to
- [Why Vote MERCAZ](https://www.mercazusa.org/votemercaz2025/whyvotemercaz/) - The 2025 US Election for the39th World Zionist Congress has now closed.Registration and voting was open from March 10th through May 4, 2025 .Preliminary Election results and other information are posted here. We wrote the book … Download a copy of this volume by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD, President of MERCAZ Olami, to learn why MERCAZ
- [Platform and Slate](https://www.mercazusa.org/votemercaz2025/platformandslate/) - The 2025 US Election for the 39th World Zionist Congress has now closed. Registration and voting was open from March 10th through May 4, 2025 . Preliminary Election results and other information are posted here. MERCAZ USA Platform 2025 The Voice of Conservative/Masorti Judaism MERCAZ USA is the Zionist Organization of the American Conservative/Masorti Movement. At
- [Vote MERCAZ Now](https://www.mercazusa.org/votenow/) - Our Values Our Voices Our People Our Vote The 2025 US Election for the 39th World Zionist Congress has now closed. Registration and voting was open from March 10th through May 4, 2025 .For election results and additional information, go to mercazusa.org/votemercaz2025 The Voice of Conservative/Masorti Jews At the next World Zionist Congress, MERCAZ USA will
- [Vote MERCAZ Privacy Policy](https://www.mercazusa.org/votemercaz2025/privacypolicy/) - Vote MERCAZ Privacy Policy Last Updated March 4, 2025 | 7:00 a.m. EST The campaign cares about your privacy rights, and about providing you with the information you need in order to protect them. Accordingly, we've created this policy to explain our privacy practices. This applies to https://www.mercazusa.org/votemercaz2025/ only. We may revise and update this policy if
- [Masorti on Campus](https://www.mercazusa.org/who-we-are/masortioncampus/) - Working Towards a Stronger, Inclusive Jewish Future Masorti On Campus was launched in the summer of 2013 as a grassroots, student-led movement. Its mission is to provide for the needs of traditional-egalitarian Jewish campus communities. Building on the 23 year legacy of KOACH, USCJ’s college outreach program, we were able to continue the important mission
- [Who We Are](https://www.mercazusa.org/who-we-are/)
- [(Do Not Use) Vote MERCAZ (Old)](https://www.mercazusa.org/vm25dnu/) - Five minutes and 5 dollars. That's all it takes for any American Jew over 18 to vote for MERCAZ USA in online elections for the World Zionist Congress this spring and help direct tens of millions towards helping southern Israel rebuild, protecting democracy in Israel, strengthening our own Jewish communities, and promoting pluralism in the
- [Donate](https://www.mercazusa.org/donate/) - Your support is greatly appreciated! Your donation to Mercaz USA will help us expand our programs and outreach.
- [Membership](https://www.mercazusa.org/membership/)
- [Mission & History](https://www.mercazusa.org/who-we-are/mission-history/) - Our Mission MERCAZ USA is the United States branch of MERCAZ OLAMI, the Zionist organization of the Masorti (Conservative) Movement. MERCAZ represents Masorti Judaism within the World Zionist Organization and Congress, the Jewish Agency for Israel, the American Zionist Movement, and the Jewish National Fund. MERCAZ is the force that advocates for funding of pluralistic streams of
- [FAQs](https://www.mercazusa.org/who-we-are/faqs/) - What is MERCAZ USA? MERCAZ USA is the American Zionist Organization of the Conservative Movement. It promotes and supports Zionist education and programs within our Movement, and it represents the interest of Conservative/Masorti Judaism in the World Zionist Organization and in the Jewish Agency for Israel, the international bodies which serve as the parliament of
- [Past Events](https://www.mercazusa.org/news/past-events/)
- [In the Media](https://www.mercazusa.org/news/in-the-media/)
- [Upcoming Events](https://www.mercazusa.org/news/upcoming-events/) - CONTENTS
- [News](https://www.mercazusa.org/news/)
- [Partners](https://www.mercazusa.org/who-we-are/partners/) - MERCAZ USA is the United States affiliate of MERCAZ Olami, the World Zionist Union of the Conservative/Masorti Movement. PARTNERS: Conservative/Masorti Agencies and Schools Member/AffiliateMERCAZ USA is a member/affiliate of the following umbrella agencies/institutions of the Jewish community:
- [Making Aliyah](https://www.mercazusa.org/resources/making-aliyah/) - If You’re Thinking of Making Aliyah: Step 1: Start the application online Step 2: Contact your local Aliyah Shaliach. Click here to find the closest Israel Aliyah office. Step 3: Click here to learn about Jewish Agency services regarding Aliyah and Klitah (absorption) for Conservative Movement Olim. Step 4: Read Today’s Israel to learn what other Olim are
- [Visiting Israel](https://www.mercazusa.org/resources/visiting-israel/) - Ramah Israel Seminar is a six-week travel program in Israel, designed for entering 12th graders who are former campers of the ten Ramah overnight camps in North America. For over 50 years, Ramah Seminar has proven itself to be an outstanding way for teens to experience Israel. United Synagogue Youth (USY) provides life-changing summer travel experiences for Conservative
- [Programs of Israel](https://www.mercazusa.org/resources/programs-of-israel/) - Israel Forever Foundation The Israel Forever Foundation is an engagement organization that develops and promotes experiential learning opportunities to celebrate and strengthen the personal connection to Israel as an integral part of Jewish life and identity. Through virtual and local programming, The Israel Forever Foundation bridges the geographical gap, engaging you in enlightening, experiential, and
- [Resources](https://www.mercazusa.org/resources/)

## Events

- [Special Online Briefing | The future of the Jewish world’s largest nonprofit](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/onlinebriefingfutureofjewishworldslargestnonprofit061426/) - Special Online Briefing | REGISTER HERE REBUILDING, CHANGE, AND BEYOND: The future of the Jewish world’s largest nonprofit Join us for a special online briefing with Eyal Ostrinsky, Chairman of KKL-JNF. This will be a timely conversation on efforts supporting communities in Israel's north and south - as well as Eyal’s extensive work promoting our shared
- [We are Searching for our next Executive Director!](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/mercazusaexecutivedirectorsearch2026/) - Title: Executive Director, MERCAZ USA (40% time - see note below regarding combing with a Rabbinical Assembly position) Position Summary: MERCAZ USA, the Zionist political arm of the Conservative/Masorti Movement in the United States, seeks a dynamic Executive Director to lead its national organizing, political engagement, and movement-building efforts. The Executive Director will oversee MERCAZ
- [Live from the Egalitarian Kotel: A festive reading of the Declaration of Independence!](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/megillathaatzmaut2026/) - Our friends and colleagues at The World Zionist Organization are honored to invite you to a continuation of the tradition of a Festive Reading of the Declaration of Independence at the Egalitarian Kotel! Sunday, April 19, 2026 | 11:30 a.m. Eastern For the sixth consecutive year, we will gather between Holocaust Remembrance Day and Independence
- [Special Online Briefing | Furious Lions: The Return of Iran](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/onlinebriefingfuriouslionsreturnofiran030526/) - Special Online Briefing | Furious Lions: The Return of Iran Join us for a special online briefing with Dr. Thamar Eilam Gindin, a leading Iran specialist from The Ezri Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies at the University of Haifa. From the 12-day war that reshaped the region to the Lion & Sun Protests
- [Emergency Online Briefing | Will Arrests at the Kotel be the New Norm?](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/willarrestsatkotelbenewnorm022526/) - REGISTER HERE Last week, our friend and MERCAZ representative on WZO’s Executive Board, Tammy Gottlieb, was arrested while participating in Women of the Wall’s Rosh Hodesh Adar tefillot at the Kotel. Join us for a personal, insightful conversation with Tammy about her experience at the Kotel and the implications of the current struggle for recognition
- [Be Part of the Legacy | Honoring Sarrae Crane's Years of Service](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/honoringsarraecranes022326/) - Be Part of the Legacy | Honoring Sarrae Crane's Years of Service For over 9 years our friend and colleague Sarrae Crane has served as Executive Director of MERCAZ USA, following many years of dedicated Jewish communal service. There is hardly an organization Sarrae has not worked with — particularly in furthering the Zionist dream
- [MERCAZ Olami Special Online Briefing | Iran: A Turning Point … But to Where?](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/iranturningpointtowhere020126/) - Join us for a special live briefing (via Zoom) on the developments in Iran with Sima Shine, the former Head of the Mossad's Research Division and Israel's Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Affairs with responsibility for Iran: 🗓️ Sunday, February 1, 2026 ⏰ 1:00 p.m. Eastern US 📍 On Zoom. Register here to receive the
- [AZM Biennial National Assembly](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/azmbiennialnationalassembly120725/) - The American Zionist Movement's Biennial National Assembly is the premier forum bringing together the leadership of our 54 national Jewish Zionist organizations that form our broad coalition. This two-day conference fosters dialogue, culture, and collaboration. This year’s theme is “Many Visions, One Dream.” Inspired by Herzl’s dream and embracing the diversity of Zionism. Learn more
- [You voted MERCAZ … So what happened at the Congress?](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/youvotedmercazsowhathappenedatthecongress112325/) - Click here or on the image below to register for this important briefing. Click here to read the post-Congress message from the leadership of MERCAZ USA and MERCAZ Olami.
- [Special Security Briefing: Israel (and America’s?) War Against a Nuclear Iran](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/specialbriefingisraelwaragainstiran062525/) - Special Security Briefing: Israel (and America’s?) War Against a Nuclear Iran" with Maj. Gen. (Res.) Amos Yadlin Via Zoom | Wednesday, June 25, 2025 | 12:00 PM New York (EDT) | 9:00 AM Los Angeles (PDT) REGISTER to attend by clicking here Join us for an important and timely briefing: "Israel (and America’s?) War Against a
- [International Reading of Megillat HaShoah](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/internationalreadingmegillathashoah042425/) - Beginning in 2003, the Rabbinical Assembly and the Schechter Institute co-published Megillat HaShoah — The Shoah Scroll — in five languages (Hebrew, English, French, Spanish and Russian) and it has been read every year at synagogues, schools and JCCs all over the world. This year we are proud to offer one chapter (#4) in Ukrainian.
- [World Zionist Congress Election Debate](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/worldzionistcongresselectiondebate040625/) - As Americans go to the polls in the World Zionist Congress elections, eJewishPhilanthropy and Jewish Insider — in collaboration with the American Zionist Movement — will be hosting a debate for all of the slates, with the goal of providing a forum for the public to learn more about the different platforms, issues and personalities
- [39th World Zionist Congress Elections](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/votemercaz39thworldzionistcongress/) - Note: MERCAZ USA does not operate the voting portal. If you encounter issues when voting online, please contact the Election Help Desk at 888-492-4763 or azm@votem.com. If you prefer to vote via a paper ballot, you can download the ballot here. MERCAZ USA is the Voice of Conservative/Masorti Jews in the World Zionist Congress At the
- [Special Online Briefing: What’s at Stake in the World Zionist Congress Elections](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/whatsatstakeworldzionistcongresselection031625/) - Special Online Briefing with MK Rabbi Gilad Kariv A View from the Knesset: What’s at Stake in the World Zionist Congress Elections We invite you to join us for a special virtual briefing with MK Rabbi Gilad Kariv, Chair of the Knesset Committee for Immigration, Absorption, and Diaspora Affairs. Click here to register for this
- [500 Days Since October 7th: Special Online Briefing](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/500daysspecialbriefing022325/) - Register by clicking here Masorti Olami presents a Zoom LIVE EVENT SPECIAL ONLINE BRIEFING: 500 days since October 7th with MK Benny Gantz Former Minister of Defense and Chairman of The National Unity Party Sunday, February 23, 2025 | 12:00 noon Eastern
- [SPECIAL ONLINE BRIEFING | The Middle East: Brand New and More of the Same](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/briefingmiddleeastbrandnewandmoreofthesame012625/) - Join us for a special briefing on developments in the Middle East with Col. (res.) Miri Eisen, former International Spokeswoman for the Prime Minister of Israel and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Counterterrorism. 📣 Share with your friends, neighbors, congregations and communities 🗓️ Sunday, January 26th ⏰ 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time 🔗 Register here
- [This Hannukah, Be the Light That Shapes Our Future](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/hannukah2025bethelight/) - Support MERCAZ USA and Donate Today! As we begin the celebration of Hannukah, we find ourselves facing challenges that echo the courage and determination of the Maccabees. The words of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel remind us of the moment we face: “We are either the last, the dying, Jews or else we are those who
- [Listen to the MERCAZ USA Hanukkah Playlist](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/listen-to-the-mercaz-usa-hanukkah-playlist/) - Happy Hanukkah from MERCAZ USA! Please enjoy this Hanukkah Playlist we have compiled. You can listen to a preview here. Click the 'Listen on Amazon Music' link to sign into your Amazon account and listen to the entire playlist! 
- [Giving Tuesday](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/givingtuesday2024/) - We remain vigilant and steadfast in our support of Israel and demand the immediate return of the hostages. Israel must be able to live in peace and security. This Giving Tuesday, you have an opportunity to make a real impact on the future of Israel and what comes next. At MERCAZ USA, we are dedicated
- [The impact of the US Presidential Election on US-Israel relations | Special Online Briefing](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/impactofpresidentialelectiononusisraelrelations112424/) - Register for this Special Briefing here Join us for a special virtual briefing with Tal Schneider, Political and Diplomatic Correspondent for Times of Israel, and one of Israel’s leading political commentators. November 24, 2024 | 2:00 p.m. Eastern
- [Stand Together: Unity, Strength, and Resilience](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/standtogetherwashingtondc111024/) - Register with the MERCAZ USA / USCJ delegation here. Stand Together: Unity, Strength, Resilience | Sunday, November 10, 2024 Register with the MERCAZ USA / USCJ delegation here. MERCAZ USA, USCJ, the Rabbinical Assembly, The Jewish Federations of North America, and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations invite you and your organization
- [October 7 Memorial Ceremony](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/global107commemoration/) - Join the Masorti/Conservative Worldwide Community for a global online event to mark one year since the terrorist attack, honor those killed during the Hamas massacre and the fallen soldiers, and pray for the safe return of the hostages still held in Gaza. Sunday, October 6 9:00 a.m. am Pacific | 12:00 noon Eastern Event held
- [NOT. ONE. MORE. Rally in NYC ...](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/notonemorerallynyc092024/)
- [MERCAZ USA General Council Meeting](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/mercazusageneralcouncilmeeting090824/) - The MERCAZ USA General Council meeting will take place on Wednesday, September 18, 2024 from 8:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Eastern, via Zoom. Register to join us for the MERCAZ USA General Council Meeting. At this meeting we will thank the members of the current board and install the members of the new board. Please download
- [Warfare and Lawfare: Israel’s War Against Hamas](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/warfareandlawfare072124/) - Join us for a special briefing with the former IDF Chief Military Advocate General, the army’s top lawyer, Maj. Gen. (res.) Avichai Mandelblit, who has also served as Attorney General, the government’s top lawyer, and Cabinet Secretary, where he negotiated the Kotel Agreement. Register for this live Zoom event here.
- [Megillat Ha'atzmaut at the Kotel!](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/megillathaatzmaut050924/) - Israel's Declaration of Independence Live From the Egalitarian Kotel We invite you to participate in our traditional event of reading Megillat Ha'atzmaut (Declaration of Independence) from the Egalitarian Kotel. This year, we will also pray for the prompt return of our hostages in Gaza. May 9th, 2024 | 1 Iyar 5784 11:30 a.m. EDT |
- [Six Months: They are Out of Time](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/sixmonthsoutoftimerally040724/) - For more information about this event, click here: Massive Rally to Mark Six Months in Captivity: April 7, 2024 | Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza | 12:00 Noon | New York, NY. Everyone, Join Us. We are, once again, heartbroken as we plan events to mark 6 months in captivity. Stand with us and help us spread the
- [Special Briefing with ex-IDF Intelligence Chief MG (Res.) Tamir Hayman](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/specialbriefingidfintelligence041024/) - Join us for a special pre-Passover briefing with the former head of IDF Intelligence, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Tamir Hayman, currently the Managing Director of INSS, Israel’s top national security think tank. MG Hayman will discuss the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, the post-October 7th reality in the Middle East, and the crisis over the
- [Join Our Cause: Advocate for Israel. Fight Antisemitism. Support MERCAZ USA.](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/supportmercazusa2023/) - Over the past two-and-a-half months, MERCAZ USA has become an important source for updates on how Israel is defending itself against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran; and how our Masorti communities in the United States and across the world can take action to support Israel and combat antisemitism. As Israel’s war against her enemies rages on,
- [WATCH LIVE: March for Israel | November 14, 2023 in Washington, D.C.](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/marchforisrael111423/) - If you cannot attend the March in person, WATCH LIVE: MARCH FOR ISRAEL TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2023 National Mall, Washington, DC: 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. EST Gates open 10:00 a.m. BE THERE, BE HEARD. This event will bring together communities from across the country to show strong solidarity with the Israeli people, while demanding the
- [Israel at War: Solidarity Shabbat](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/solidarityshabbat/) - Get the latest updates on the Solidarity Shabbat here Our hearts are broken but our faith is unwavering; in these difficult days we are mourning the deaths of over 1,400 of our Israeli family and many international citizens from the horrific terrorist attacks on Israelis and global citizens on October 7th; we are advocating and
- [MERCAZ Reads Israel: Register for Our Book Club Discussion About 'If All The Seas Were Ink'](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/mercaz-reads-israel-register-for-our-book-club-discussion-about-if-all-the-seas-were-ink/) - MERCAZ USA and MERCAZ-Masorti Canada are proud to announce our second 'MERCAZ Reads Israel' book club meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 23 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern! Our upcoming book club meeting will feature a discussion with author Ilana Kurshan, exploring her book 'If All The Seas Were Ink.' To participate in this exciting
- [Join Mercaz Olami at the Kotel to Bring in Tisha B’Av](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/join-mercaz-olami-at-the-kotel-to-bring-in-tisha-bav/) - Feeling confused about how to have a meaningful Tisha B’Av this year? Please join MERCAZ Olami, Masorti Olami and The Masorti Movement In Israel for a live-streaming event of the reading of Megillat Eicha, directly from the Egalitarian Kotel. The broadcast will take place on Wednesday, July 29 at 8:00 p.m. Israel time / 1:00
- [Tu B’Shevat 5781: A Celebration with the Cantors Assembly](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/tu-bshevat-5781-a-celebration-with-the-cantors-assembly/) - We are delighted to announce that MERCAZ USA we will be partnering with our fellow English-speaking MERCAZ organizations, Mercaz Canada and Mercaz UK (United Kingdom) on a number of initiatives. It is our hope that this arrangement will enable all of us to provide a wider variety of educational and engagement opportunities for members of
- [MERCAZ USA General Council Meeting](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/mercaz-usa-general-council-meeting/) - SAVE THE DATE: Sunday, November 7, 2021 Every four years, MERCAZ USA holds its General Council meeting where we elect our new officers, vote on bylaw amendments, and learn together with guest presenters. Our past conventions have been in person - but learning from the positive outcomes and increased engagement with our virtual gatherings this
- [Mercaz Reads Israel: Someone To Run With](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/mercaz-reads-israel-someone-to-run-with/)
- [Celebrate Tu B’Shevat with MERCAZ and the Cantors Assembly](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/celebrate-tu-bshevat-with-mercaz-and-the-cantors-assembly/) - In collaboration with the Cantors Assembly, MERCAZ USA and MERCAZ-Masorti Canada are delighted to celebrate this Zionist chag (holiday) - which draws our attention to the land of Israel and our connections to it, with all of you! If you missed the live presentation on Sunday, January 16, you can still celebrate with us by
- [Torah shall go forth from Zion: Masorti Responsa from Israel](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/torah-shall-go-forth-from-zion-masorti-responsa-from-israel/)
- [Mercaz Reads Israel | The Best Place on Earth](https://www.mercazusa.org/events/mercaz-reads-israel-the-best-place-on-earth/) - Register to join us for our sixth MERCAZ Reads Israel Book Club meeting below ... Ayelet Tsabari’s award-winning debut collection of stories is global in scope yet intimate in feel, beautifully written, and emotionally powerful. From Israel to India to Canada, Tsabari’s indelible characters grapple with love, violence, faith, the slipperiness of identity, and the

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