How do you transform a ragged mass of slaves escaping unimaginable tyranny into a functioning, viable society whose laws, principles and values would help form today's modern world? It all started in the desert, when Moses was commanded to organize this mass of people into groups and then co…
We are all on our individual journeys to find meaning in our lives. For most of us, taking responsibility for improving the lives of others is our greatest source of satisfaction. It is an awesome responsibility, and one the Jewish community takes seriously with our collective commitment to …
The Eternal spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, the Eternal your Gd, am holy. (Leviticus 19:12)
This Shabbat we will read Parsha K'Doshim where the people of Israel are commanded to be holy, one of the most abstract a…
They were partisans, ghetto fighters, child prisoners and some secretly hidden, and they were all present at the Symbolic Seder I attended last week at the JCC's Café Europa program coordinated by Jewish Family Services. Facilitated by the Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies, we cel…
I first met Cheryln when she was 13 at my cousin's Bar Mitzvah. She was an out going, bubbly, articulate young lady with a sparkle in her eye. I last saw Cheryln at her funeral. Overwhelmed by being bullied, rejected and marginalized, she took her own life. She was just shy of 15.
We re…
