Would-be progressive allies, your Jewish peers need you to hear this: Most Jews are Zionists, most Jews want to see safety and justice for Palestinians, most Jews want to work against white supremacy and Nazism and most Jews want to be your partners. However, if it is made clear enough times that we are not welcome, you will find that many of us stop showing up at the table − and that is a grave risk to us all.
Read MoreFrom the Torah to the Talmud, the Tabernacle, to the Temple, to Temple Sholom today, we are a people experienced with creating institutions and ideas that leave legacies. But, how? What does it take to create a lasting legacy? One like these examples? What would it take so our community leaves an imprint on the Jewish future?
Read MoreFrom my time working in Jewish community relations and fighting antisemitism, I can tell you that there are plenty of kids who think it’s funny to make light of Nazis, Hitler, and the Holocaust and to “jokingly” reenact things like Nazi salutes. Maybe, in light of that, we shouldn’t be all too shocked about the actual Nazi demonstration that took place recently in Lockland.
Read MoreOur love defines us. Whom we love, how we love, when we love, when we don’t–these all give shape to how the world sees us, who we are, and whom we grow to become.
Read MoreDo any of you know the old Chinese proverb, which seems relevant to our parashah, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”? How about this one: "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." Well, we can no more eat an elephant or take a thousand-mile journey all at once than we can solve all our societal problems in one sitting. So, in the face of the many daunting tasks and threats that may lie ahead, we must prioritize and focus.
Read MoreIt is entirely possible there could be more surprise curve balls over the coming four years, including ones that advance peaceward progress. The suggestion that Gazans just leave, though, ain’t it.
Read MoreWhen the Israelites went to leave Egypt, according to the Torah, "erev rav alah itam," "a great multitude of peoples also went out with them." In the quintessential moment of Jewish liberation, we didn’t restrict freedom only to ourselves. We didn’t say "this is a time for Jewish emancipation; see y’all later." Instead, we brought others out of Egypt with us.
Read MoreI’m going to pick the ADL apart for what they published; they deserve it, and their words merit scrutiny. To be fair, though, the problem isn’t really just them, per se. It’s cravenness among Jewish organizations and leaders that ought to be able to speak out against those in power, but instead, too frequently sidle up to them. Sometimes it’s hard to know where exactly the line should be, but other times it isn’t. This one should have been easy, so the ADL’s behavior makes a great, easy illustration of a larger problem.
Read MoreSermon at Temple Sholom, January 24, 2025:
For tonight, let's rejoice in the pure joy of the fact that several members of our people are finally home; that this is the first Shabbat that Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher will spend with their families in nearly a year and a half; that many more of our brothers and sisters, who have sat, kidnapped, in underground dungeons for 475 days, God-willing, will soon be coming home–this is cause for celebration.
The community I will lead is entering its 71st year, and I have to wonder what its founders back in 1954 envisioned for their future back when we had yet to enter Vietnam, the Beatles were still babies, and Eisenhower was president. I hope they would be proud of what we've accomplished. In turn, I want to develop a vision that will ensure our future community (Temple Sholom and Cincinnati) can look back proudly at our present − even in 71 years, in 2096, likely after most of us reading this are mere memories.
Read More“I used to cry sharing this,” she said as she began to describe what she went through. “It’s as if Hamas won twice.” She means that not only did Hamas commit their crimes and document them — the first win — but the international community also then ignored or denied Hamas’ crimes — the second.
Read MoreThe cycle of ill repute has once more renewed as Peter Yarrow’s legacy receives deserved scrutiny. Yarrow, who recently entered hospice, is the disgraced champion of much music from America’s 60s folk revival. Not only was Yarrow convicted (in 1970) of “indecent liberties with a 14-year-old girl” (when he was 32), but other allegations have arisen that he may be guilty of even more serious sexual crimes.
Read MoreMost who head into voting booths on Tuesday (or voted in advance) have polar opposite feelings regarding Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. They anticipate that, should their preferred candidate win, their lives will somehow be better. Meanwhile, most voters carry great fear about the world where "the other one" wins. Harris voters will consider a Trump win cataclysmic; Trump voters will see a Harris victory as an apocalypse.
Read MoreIn addressing Jew-hatred (big or small), we each must adopt a “lo alecha attitude” — it is not any of our individual duty to singlehandedly beat antisemitism, but none of us can consider ourselves free from the obligation to participate in countering it. We are much too small a minority (2.4% of American adults, per Pew) for any of us to sit out of this effort.
Read MoreEven if we know what to expect, what can we do? Today, I offer five potent strategies for responding to antisemitism in the coming weeks and months.
Read MoreAlthough we are hardly in a moment of calm, this is still the “calm” before the storm. So, what’s to come? Of the above, what might we most expect during election season? Probably three tropes in particular: greed, power, and anti-Zionism.
Read MoreThere are countless antisemitic ideas in our world; full books have been written on the matter. Thankfully, this article needn’t take 100,000+ words, as the ADL has helpfully boiled the many tropes of antisemitism down into seven broad historical categories. Here, they’re roughly organized into chronological order by when they emerged. Although the older tropes may seem quaint, all still circulate. Each is worth understanding.
Read MorePrecedent warns that antisemitism dependably rises at three times: 1) When Israel is in the news; 2) around Jewish holidays; and 3) during election season. Soon, we will likely experience the trifecta, and I worry that many of us are unequipped for what will be a very tough fall.
Read MoreIt’s in light of my knowledge of Jewish history that I can only be troubled by what’s happening just north of us in Springfield, Ohio, where an immigrant community faces substantial vitriol and threat.
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