Read & Listen

Dear Friends, As we celebrate Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewish culture this Shabbat and coming week at the WJC, I wanted to offer some thoughts. The vast majority of American Jews are of Ashkenazi origin – that is, their ancestors lived in Central and Eastern Europe and spoke Yiddish. Ashkenaz is the Hebrew name for Germany, ... Read more

Dear Friends, This past week my wife Ellen and I participated in the Living Legacy Pilgrimage, a civil rights pilgrimage tour. Our dear friend Reggie Harris was one of the leaders of the trip. It was an intensive journey, as we visited key sites, memorials and museums throughout Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee, while meeting with ... Read more

Tonight I want to speak with you about the wisdom of King Solomon. Solomon, whose name Shlomo means “peace”, was one of the sons of King David. After David died, sometime in the 10th century BCE, Solomon ascended to the throne. According to the Book of Kings, which records the stories of Solomon’s reign, Solomon ... Read more

The heart is a life-sustaining muscle in our chests, beating and pulsing until our final breath. But that heart also becomes a metaphor to describe so much of the human endeavor. A person of great determination shows “so much heart.” When we are encouraged we “take heart.” When we are discouraged, we “lose heart.” Even ... Read more

As we approach the kaddish, I want to remember David Marell, who passed away this summer. David and his wife Patricia Mitchell helped found the Woodstock Jewish Congregation. Their daughters Gabrielle and Emily became Bat Mitzvah at the WJC. Patricia served as president. David chaired the committee that composed our “Vision Statement,” our guiding vision ... Read more

The causes and roots of antisemitism, in the largest sense, remain mysterious to me, just as the Jewish people’s continued and oversized presence on the world stage is a mystery.

In this week’s Torah portion, Bo, the tense drama of the story of Exodus continues to mount. In the middle of the night, amid the carnage and horror of the death of all the first-born sons of Egypt, Pharaoh summons Moses and Aaron to his palace one final time and tells them to go, immediately. ... Read more

We naturally associate the story of the Exodus with springtime and Passover, but we also have the opportunity to immerse ourselves in this story during the winter months. As we make our way through the annual cycle of Torah readings, January always brings us into the Book of Exodus, and we are studying it weekly ... Read more

As the calendar year of 2018 draws to a close, I know that many of us are looking towards 2019 with great trepidation. I certainly am, and there are so many intertwining causes for concern: Liberal democracy, the best guarantor that we have ever known for the promotion and protection of human rights and dignity ... Read more

When the world is sick, Can’t no one be well. But I dreamt we was all beautiful and strong (Silver Mount Zion Orchestra and Tra-La-La band) Shabbat shalom. I am honored to speak to you this evening as we mark the 70th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights. I can’t recall a particular moment ... Read more