Boy do I wish I had been in Denver last week. It’s at a time like this that I feel true love and homesickness for my hometown. When I sat down to watch the Super Bowl with some friends, one … more

The prohibition of imbibing blood is one of the well-known mitzvot found in our parasha (Vayikra 17:10-11). In it we find the unusual expression, v’natati panai, which is explained by both … more

Last week I received a profound teaching from the esteemed rabbi of the iconic Bialystoker Synagogue, Rabbi Zvi Romm, themed to the recent bigoted rant by a so-called Jewish historian, Dr. Hasia … more

In considering the furor around President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to appoint Stephen Bannon, the CEO of the hard-right news website Breitbart, as his chief strategist, let’s start … more

It turns out that in some cases, the Trump administration can behave just like its predecessors. President Trump has been rightly accused of smashing precedents as commander-in-chief, and many of … more

What a painful week. The ugly tentacles of anti-Semitism came out from all directions. Before the news of Airbnb’s boycott of Jewish apartments in Judea and Samaria, before the bloodcurdling … more

In 1948, things did not look promising for the Jews. The armies of Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, prepared to attack the new State of Israel as soon as the British pulled out, vowing to push the Jews … more

When I worked for the Anti-Defamation League more than a decade ago, relations between the Polish government and the Jewish community worldwide were incomparably better than they are now. But … more

When I was growing up on New York’s Lower East Side, one of the greatest American literary figures was Herman Wouk. His reputation was great because of the books he wrote, which are cited in … more

Our parsha, Beshalach, begins with an apparently simple proposition: “When Pharaoh let the people go, G-d did not lead them on the road through the land of the Philistines, though that was … more