In his 1963 book Strength to Love, a seminal collection of sermons, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. shared the following message – “Returning hate for hate multiples hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.…
As I sat in services for Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur, I was reminded of how incredible the High Holy Days are. It is not because, as our Machzor says, “The days are awesome and full of dread.” It is more about the fact that there is no other time of the Jewish year that people feel more Jew…
Shana Tova, and I hope that 5784 is already off to an incredible start.
Throughout the year, I schedule meetings with our local county and state elected officials to update them on the work our Jewish Federation is doing and learn how we can support and share what they are doing with ou…
Adults, especially those of us who are parents, have many…many responsibilities. This is why people often say that "adulting" is no joke. It takes smarts, charisma, a good attitude, a solid work ethic, strong commitment, and determination. As a parent, this goes even further when you bring…
The first time I traveled to Israel was when I was 16, and I spent six weeks touring the country with 45 other teens from the San Francisco Bay Area. Before that trip, the only connection I felt to the country was through the education I received from Religious School. In fact, I was the fir…
I have a confession, and now is the perfect time to share it. I am a sleepaway camper drop-out. Growing up, I was afraid to do sleepovers at other people’s homes because I got homesick. So my only sleepaway experience was a one-week session at Camp Swig when I was an entering 4th grader. I…
Below is the most recent Op-ed I have written to update the community on the Jewish Federation’s effort to combat antisemitism locally. I encourage everyone to pay close attention to the cities that have responded to our request and if you do not see your city listed, PLEASE contact them a…
Growing up, I dreaded hearing my teachers say, "Your next assignment will be preparing a speech that you will give next week in front of the entire class." The anxiety I would feel as the days drew closer to that moment when I needed to stand before my classmates and deliver a speech that…
Each year, around this time, I think back to one of my fondest childhood memories. No, it was not on a trip to Disneyland or being on the baseball field. It was actually at my grandparent's house in Oakland. We are sitting around their dining room table. My grandfather, the family's patriarc…
Between the emails, the phone calls, the challenges of running a nonprofit, and the targeted hatred that confronts the Jewish world every day, I always enjoy getting out of my office to talk and interact with people. In my position, there are some extraordinary people whom I get a chance to …
Over the years, I have spent a lot of time thinking about, analyzing, and even critiquing the American Jewish community. I learned and studied it as a Religious Studies undergrad, with a minor in Jewish Studies, and in grad school at Hebrew Union College, where I earned my master's degree in…
When I was a kid, today was the day I both dreaded and looked forward to each year. Traditionally, today was the first day of a new school year, unlike today, when students seem to return to school in the middle of summer. The day after Labor Day was the official end of summer for most famil…
As you may have seen over the weekend, if you were not engrossed watching El Segundo win the Little League World Series or at the movie theater yesterday in celebration of National Cinema Day, Monday marked the 60th Anniversary of the historic March on Washington that was culminated by Rev. …
Last night I attended the City of Montclair’s City Council meeting because they planned to vote on whether to direct staff to draft a resolution to denounce antisemitism and all forms of hatred. During the meeting, the council members shared thoughts and feelings that hate in any form need…
When I was studying social work in grad school, one of the aspects that always stuck out most to me was the idea of empathy and compassion. While similar in nature, they often manifest in different ways. One can be compassionate about what someone is going through, but empathy is often more …
