What I Learned When I Met with Members of the Knesset
It sounds like the beginning of a potentially provocative joke about Israeli politics: Five members of the Knesset – two from the Left, and one each from the center, the right, and from the joint Arab list – walk into a room full of Liberal Zionists…
Get Engaged (with Israel) at Biennial
With everything happening in the Middle East, now is a critical time to support, learn about, struggle with and connect to Israel.
On the Road to Jerusalem: A Current Affairs Conversation with an Israeli Taxi Driver
Gidi is a handsome, 53-year-old Israeli taxi driver whose grandfather made aliyah from Iraq in the 1920s.
Why We Must be Like Abraham and Speak Truth to Power
It is no secret that social action is a central maxim of Judaism.
Trouble at the Borders — and Within
This post is adapted from a sermon given at Temple Sinai in Washington, DC on Friday, June 29, 2018.
Answers Are Important, But Questions Matter More
"Who's there?" is the first thing we read in Shakespeare's Hamlet. It encapsulates the topic of the entire play. "Where are you?" is the first question asked by God in the Torah (Genesis 3:9). From a metaphysical point of view, it captures the topic of the entire Bible.
Identity and Ethics: Knowing Who and Whose You Are
If someone tells you that Judaism is X or Y, you should never believe them. Judaism is such a complex civilization — it is made up of religion and culture, language and land, and a particular kind of peoplehood. ... The Israelites’ preparations both to enter the Land and to create an ideal society are central motifs of Deuteronomy, and a particular focus of the extensive Parashat R’eih.