I often think back to my experiences growing up in my small hometown of Danville. There were not many Jews living in any one specific area in the cities east of Oakland. It was similar to the experience I know many of us feel. I remember packing extra matzah during Passover so my classmates …
Over the weekend, my wife was filling something out and was asked what her favorite season was. It made me stop and think for a minute because I hadn’t given much thought to this for quite a while. And after thinking for a moment I realized, like my wife, my favorite season is Spring. And …
Purim has always been one of the most fascinating of our holidays. I was blown away when I learned that not only is the story not found in the Torah, but it is the only book in the Hebrew Bible that does not include G-d in it. How could a holiday that is so widely celebrated, replete with sp…
So much has been going on these last couple of weeks, it is really hard to keep up. In case you missed it, here is a short recap: President Biden gave his first State of the Union Address, Major League Baseball canceled the first several games of their season due to the lockout, the 2022 Win…
At the end of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Ferris, played by Matthew Broderick, says, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” That is how I have been feeling as of late. There is so much happening in the world right now it is alarm…
When we look back at the pandemic, there will be many things that we will remember and take away from our experience. Some will most definitely cause us some pain in reliving it, while others may serve as reminders for us and may even bring us some warmth. Bear with me while I explain what I…
Over the last few weeks, this column has been focused on security due to the rise in antisemitism not only the American Jewish community has experienced, but also all across the world. While this rise is unprecedented here in the US, it has remained unclear to many as to how we can not only …
Hard to believe that Superbowl Sunday is almost here. While I am saddened that I won’t be able to cheer on my San Francisco 49ers since the Rams beat them to make it to this Sunday’s game, I am still looking forward to the game. The anticipation for the game is palpable around town with …
Tomorrow is a big day… at least in Punxsutawney, PA. That’s right… tomorrow is Groundhog Day. You know, the day where Phil, emerges from his burrow in Gobbler’s Knob to see if he sees his shadow. According to legend, if he sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter, but …
Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote about the power and beauty of Shabbat in his classic work The Sabbath. In it, he described Shabbat as a sanctuary of time, a place to experience holiness, and a place to feel at peace.
This Shabbat… that peace was shattered, once again, when four peopl…
Yogi Berra, considered by many to be one of the all-time great players and “characters” of the game (even if he was a Yankee), is attributed to have said, "It's like déjà vu, all over again."
I was thinking about this as I got up this morning and saw that the US COVID-19 hospitali…
When 2021 began I don’t think many of us thought or could have conceived of the idea that once the ball dropped in Times Square in 2022, we would find ourselves in the middle of another COVID-related surge. And yet, here we are. The good news is that at least this time, a significant major…
One of the many COVID lessons I continue to be fascinated about is how interconnected we are as a people… living here on this earth. It was during the Thanksgiving weekend that we first heard the term “Omicron.” Remember… it was discovered and reported that it was in the southern par…
As you may have read or seen in the last couple of days, there was an antisemitic incident that occurred in Pasadena on Sunday. Flyers blaming Jews for COVID, naming specific members of the CDC, US Department of Health and Human Services, and others, were circulated around Pasadena.
A…
Bringing Light into the World
Ever since I was a child, this has always been one of my favorite times of the year. The weather typically turns colder, it gets dark earlier and we are in the midst of the holiday season. Each year in elementary school, my mom would come into my class to do a …
