Resisting Easy Answers

As I write these words, Israel and Iran have agreed to a very delicate and fragile ceasefire. Following two anxious weeks of bombs and missiles, these two nations have put down their weapons. Iranian leadership has long stood adamantly opposed to Israel (and America). We are the eternal scapegoats not...

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Juneteenth Reflection at KI

KI will be closed this Thursday in honor of Juneteenth. This holiday has us acknowledge the end of slavery and the ultimate enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation. On Juneteenth, we recall the date of June 19, 1865, when this momentous occasion took place. It marked a turning point not only for...

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Be Proud

There is a story in the Talmud of two rabbis who seem attracted to each other. Everything about their interaction suggests romantic interest. One goes as far as marrying the sister of the other, so that they can always be close to each other. These two sages, and so many...

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Echoes of the Six-Day War

Jewish communities around the world marked Yom Yerushalayim earlier this week. It is a minor holiday all things considered and, in some places, hardly acknowledged at all. Jerusalem Day celebrates the unification of Jerusalem, which took place at the conclusion of the Six-Day War in June of 1967. This war...

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HaMotzi Feeds Our Soul

This weekend we will take part in our annual Spring Celebration. This year we are celebrating the people who make our HaMotzi program happen. For the last ten years, HaMotzi has provided for the food insecure of our area. Guests receive not only a hot meal, but are treated to...

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We are the Pink Triangle

This week we mark Yom HaShoah, honoring the lives lost during the Holocaust. Fewer and fewer survivors are among us. It is our job, therefore, to hold onto their stories and to tell these stories. We cannot forget what happens when hate goes unchecked, when dissent is silenced, when diversity is...

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Your Vote is Crucial

This year we have the opportunity to have a hand in shaping Israel’s future. Even from half a world away, we can help chart the future of our beloved Israel. The World Zionist Congress has met regularly for over a century. It was Theodor Herzl who convened the first Congress...

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Life is about Choices

As we come to the end of the Book of Exodus, the Israelites learn anew the central precepts of the Torah: Keep the Sabbath, give tzedakah, and have a hand in building up a Jewish community of strength. The people will come forward to help create the first ever synagogue,...

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