Certain words or phrases I hear when I am out and about make my "antenna" go up. You could understand that terms like Jewish, Judaism, and the like do that. As does the word antisemitism. This word has been at the forefront of my mind, as you could probably guess, based on my past columns, b…
There are moments from my past I remember vividly. One of them was the Shavuot service back in 1990 when I was 16 and went through Confirmation as part of a 38-member class at Temple Isaiah in the Bay Area. I remember how tight-knit my class was and how much fun we had together. In fact, man…
When Hannah, our oldest daughter, was 12, she turned to me in the car one day and told me she had finally figured out what I did for a living. I said, “Really… and what is that?” With a sense of innocence, she said, “You shmooze.”
While I have shared that story with the community …
Yesterday was an important day in the lives of many of our community's teens…. College acceptance day. Each year, on May 1, graduating high school seniors nationwide must select the school they intend to begin their college education. Back in 2021, Hannah, our daughter, chose to attend the…
In 1990, when I was 16 years old, I went to Israel for the first time as a participant on a six-week trip to Israel with 45 other teens from the East Bay. I had dreamed of visiting our ancestral homeland for many years, and I was the first person in my family to walk on the land described i…
Today is Yom HaShoah, otherwise known as Holocaust Remembrance Day. The first Holocaust Remembrance Day occurred on December 28, 1949; the Israeli Knesset later moved the observance to April 12, 1951 (the 27th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan). This specific day was chosen because it marked the …
For many children, especially the youngest, the days leading up to Passover are filled with dread and stress. No, it is not because they remember they won't be able to eat their favorite foods like pizza, macaroni and cheese, bagels, etc. Instead, the stress is caused by their older sibling…
This is an exciting time of the year. Students are preparing for Spring Break, and high school seniors are getting college acceptance letters. Families are starting to think about summer plans. (Shameless plug…don’t forget to sign your kids/grandkids up for Camp Gan Shalom this summer.)…
There has been a lot in the news lately, from the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and the Ukraine War entering its 2nd year to more uplifting events like the 95th Annual Oscars and the start of the World Baseball Classic (where Israeli won its first game). However, unless you've been paying …
Let me begin this week's message by wishing everyone a very Happy Purim, Chag Purim. With celebrations underway, I hope everyone enjoys a hamantaschen and tries to perform the four mitzvot of the holiday – hear the megillah, give a gift of food, eat a festive meal, and give charity.
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As I have previously shared, I am a huge fan of “National (fill in the blank) Day.” Not only do I think they are fun, but it somehow makes me feel connected with others when I “celebrate” them. While it may come as a surprise, the first “National” day I ever heard about was not …
As you have read in this column many times, I love sports. I love the spectacle, the stress, the storylines, and the competition. And the pinnacle of the football year culminated on Sunday with Super Bowl 57. While my San Francisco 49ers were not playing, I enjoyed being with friends and wat…
As a Jewish leader, I often get emails and phone calls from various people. Some want to ask questions or suggest what we can offer in our community, while others want to schedule a meeting or sell me something. And on occasion, I get an email, as I did a couple of weeks ago, that makes me p…
A few weeks ago, the Jewish community marked the first anniversary of the hostage situation that occurred at the synagogue in Colleyville, TX. This occasion was marked with articles and talks about what faith-based organizations learned from this and how they have applied these lessons to th…
Last week, I was contacted by the editor of the Claremont Courier to get a quote about the recent Jew-blaming flyers that had hit Claremont driveways over that weekend. Sadly, as I explained, as horrible and despicable as the flyer was, it was not illegal because Jewish driveways were not …
