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 […]
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 – […]
“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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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: […]
” … 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 […]