On Saturday, June 24, I will have the opportunity to experience four sacred experiences, three of which you, too, can experience! It will begin with Torah Study, from 8:30-9:30 AM. If you’ve never experienced Torah Study at FJC, it is a wonderful amalgamation of text study, wonderful digressions, spirited [...]

I conducted an interesting experiment as a prelude to writing these words. I entered into Google’s search engine the phrase “antidote to despair”. I found the results intriguing. Among the suggested antidotes to despair were the following: “action”, “collaboration”, “solidarity”. Many of us awaken each morning, sometimes from troubled sleep, [...]

In May 1897, the great American humorist, novelist and social critic Samuel Clemens — best known by his pen name, Mark Twain — was in London. It was one of the stops on a round-the-world speaking tour he’d embarked on in 1895. He hoped to use the fees from [...]

Preparing to write this column for the month in which we celebrate the holiday of Purim, I engaged in a fascinating and painful Google search. I entered “Purim + Trump” in the search box and was quickly led to dozens of articles scattered across the Internet, virtually all of [...]

Since 2009, North American Jewish Communities have been celebrating Jewish Disability Awareness Month in February. Now known as Jewish Disability and Inclusion Month (JDAIM), it is an opportunity to celebrate our commitment to removing barriers, celebrating diversity and connecting with our Jewish values, the most fundamental of which speaks [...]

To the New Year W. S. Merwin With what stillness at last you appear in the valley your first sunlight reaching down to touch the tips of a few high leaves that do not stir as though they had not noticed and did not know you at all then [...]