January 5, 2016 | General News

In her recent Kveller article, Danielle Shapiro talks about the struggles of bringing her 4-year-old twins to a Tot Shabbat service. She writes, "For the rabbi whose service we disrupted, and the parents who heard our screaming, running children, and for the lady who I cut ahead of in the buffet line to get nuggets - all I have to say is I'm sorry, we have twins."

As a rabbi who works with children and families, I appreciate parents who want their children to behave and engage in our programming. As a parent of young children, I want my children to behave reasonably every time we leave the house. But I also know those are wishes, not realities.

December 29, 2015 | General News

The world seems especially dark right now, as tragic world events combine with the early night. So when I saw that Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand
Action for Gun Sense were putting on a series of rallies and walks around the country to mark the anniversary of the Sandy Hook mass shooting, I knew I had
to be there.

This is one of those issues that keeps me up at night-worrying about the safety not just of my own children, but of all the children in this country. At a
time of year when darkness descends so early, and when most cultures celebrate light, the rally's occurrence on the last night of Hanukkah seemed like
God's way of telling me that this was how I could spread the light to close out the holiday.

December 21, 2015 | General News

As reports of terrorism and intolerance weigh heavily on the holiday season, is peace really possible? TODAY's Hoda Kotb posed the question to three female religious leaders: Rev. Jacqui Lewis of New York City's Middle Collegiate Church, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl of Central Synagogue in New York City, and Muslim peace advocate Sahar Alsahlani.

December 2, 2015 | General News | Repairing the World

Deciding between security or refugees, “them” or “us,” obscures the real choice we make in the most challenging of times: will our fear win, or will our humanity? Will we turn inward or will we live our highest values of love for the stranger, knowing the soul of the stranger as intimately as we do? As Jews who know what it means to be turned away from borders, our answer must be yes, let them in.

November 15, 2015 | General News

With pain, horror, and profound disquiet, we have watched the violence in Paris – and its effects – unfold this weekend. Only two weeks ago, I led a Central Synagogue mission to Paris. How devastating it is to see this City of Light enveloped in such darkness.