Nurturing the Next Generation of Leaders

Moses spoke to Adonai, saying, "Let Adonai, Source of the breath of all flesh, appoint someone over the community who shall go out before them and come in before them and who shall take them out and bring them in, so that Adonai's community may not be like sheep that have no shepherd." (Numb…

Extending a Hand of Friendship

I prepared this message before the world learned of the horrific attack in Nice, France, that took the lives of over 80 people, a large proportion of whom were children. Once again, the flow of tears washes over us as we try to make sense of the continual display of hatred in our world. Our …

Standing Up for Our Heritage

Yesterday morning, members and friends of the Jewish community gathered at Dreyfus Lodge Cemetery, a Jewish cemetery in Hartford's Frog Hollow neighborhood, with a sacred purpose. In a ceremony led by Rabbi Philip Lazowski, Rabbi Emeritus of Beth Hillel Synagogue in Bloomfield, we gathered t…

Tending the Flame for Tomorrow

Image Credit: Noam Chen/JFNA

The Torah is filled with vivid imagery, inspiring stories and so many layers of meaning ­ providing ample opportunities for each of us to find what is most relevant and significant. It is a gift that provides direction, purpose, and the moral and ethical guidep…

A Week to Celebrate, a Week to Mourn, a Week to Act

From Saturday evening to Monday evening we celebrated the festival of Shavuot, which commemorates the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai. From an agricultural perspective, Shavuot was the time when our ancestors harvested the first fruits of the season and brought them t…