Catastrophe in America: Racism, Violence, & Tishah B'Av
I had a friend in college named Ray. He was a good guy. He had a lot of the qualities I thought I lacked when I was in college. Ray was good looking, athletic and charismatic. He was a running back on the school's football team.
I Spent the Last Day of Summer Break Lobbying My State Senator
I chose to spend the last day of summer before seventh grade participating in the 2019 Sacramento Lobby Day with the California Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC-CA).
Meet the 2019-2020 Eisendrath Legislative Assistants
How I’m Tapping into My Jewish Values to Help Save Lives
When 17 people were killed in a shooting at our school, we were devastated by the deaths of our friends and teachers, and we wanted – no, needed – to take action. Here's how our Jewish values continue to guide and inform that work.
Galilee Diary: The Neighbors
Whoever saves one life in Israel [i.e., of a Jew] is as if he had saved an entire world.
– Mishnah, Sanhedrin 4:5
Whoever saves one life is as if he had saved an entire world.
The Peace-ful Warrior
My most poignant image of the Six Day War is the photograph of a young Israeli soldier praying at the Kotel, the Western Wall, enveloped in a talit, with an Uzi submachine gun hanging from his shoulder.
Staying Safe This Summer
This summer, through the Religious Action Center's Machon Kaplan program, I am interning for the Children’s Environmental Heath Network (CEHN).
Why It's Imperative for Us To Vote
On February 13, 2018, I turned 18. For the first time in my life, I had the right to show up at the ballot box, to raise my voice, and to cast my vote.
Ki Teitzei: When You Go Out as a Warrior
Parashat Ki Teitzei includes a rich and varied collection of directives that serve as a partial blueprint for behaviors and norms to create the emerging covenantal culture. As Professor Adele Berlin notes, “Issues pertaining to women are prominent in this parashah. . . .
How Tikkun Olam and Pikuah Nefesh Will Help Me Prepare: A #BlogElul Post
Last week I had lunch with a rabbi friend who told me he’s in the midst of preparing four different sermons for the upcoming High Holidays.