September 25, 2016

This happened during the last week of the Hebrew month of Elul, just before Rosh HaShanah. It was the time for saying the special penitential prayers called S’lichot, the prayers asking for forgiveness. In this village, an official walked from house to house at dawn with his lantern, and he knocked on each door calling “Wake up! It’s time to wake up!” And the Jews got up to go to synagogue to say their prayers asking for forgiveness. During these days, a man came to the village to visit his cousin. He had never been there before, nor had he ever met their famous rabbi.

September 22, 2016 | General News

I first heard Rabbi Buchdahl speak at this past Rosh HaShanah at Lincoln Center when she gave her Crowns of Torah: Re-Forming Judaism sermon. To say that I was impressed would be an understatement. I was humbled and touched by her welcoming remarks to non-Jews like me. In that moment, I looked at the thousands of people in that room and felt tears in my eyes. I was crying tears of joy because, as a non-Jew, I was being warmly invited into this community where my Jewish wife and I have chosen to educate and raise our daughter as a Jew.

August 31, 2016 | General News

Bill Gates recently joined 2,000 attendees at Microsoft Israel's Think Next event and declared: "Israeli technology is improving the world." But herein lies the rub: no one knows it. The U.S. media focuses mostly on the political Israel and not on Israeli citizens who work quietly each day to solve some of the world’s biggest problems.

Untold News was founded in 2010 to change all that.

August 22, 2016 | General News

On Monday of this week, I was honored to join the New York Board of Rabbis to visit the home of Imam Akonjee, who was murdered along with his friend Thara Miah on his way home from prayer on August 13. We came to Ozone Park with condolences to share, solidarity in our hearts, and a message that the whole faith community mourns with their family.

July 17, 2016

Rabbis Against Gun Violence, a grassroots group of rabbis from across the denominational spectrum, have produced a rapid-response book, Not By Might: Channeling the Power of Faith to End Gun Violence, in the wake of the massacre in Orlando. Rabbis and teachers from every walk of life and all over the country produced stirring words of inspiration, guidance, and teachings from the Torah and Jewish tradition, to awaken us to real action. I was privileged to write a chapter about work I did around gun policy reform in Chicago.