Friday March 13, 2026 – כ״ד אֲדָר תשפ”ו Dear World, Please stop shooting at synagogues and taking your anger out on the Jews. Thank you. In the past week alone, five synagogues have been targeted in attacks, including yesterday’s assault on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, outside Detroit. Jewish communities across the country are shaken, […]

Friday March 13, 2026 –  כ״ד אֲדָר תשפ”ו When the sirens sound in Israel, everything stops. Parents grab their children and run for shelter. Schools close. Streets empty. In these days of war with Iran, Israelis are living with the daily reality of danger and uncertainty. For Jews in the Diaspora, the experience can feel […]

Friday, March 6, 2026 – י״ז אֲדָר תשפ”ו In this week’s episode of The Pluralist Podcast, my friend, colleague, and co-host, Orly Erez Likhovski, starts out by stating what should be obvious, but often is not: This. Is. Not. Normal.  The now seemingly routine act of running back and forth to shelters, sleeping in public […]

Febraury 27. 2026 – י׳ אֲדָר תשפ”ו The word “Zionism” did not emerge accidentally. It was coined in the late nineteenth century by the Austrian Jewish journalist and nationalist Nathan Birnbaum (1864-1937), years before Herzl convened the First Zionist Congress. Birnbaum was searching for language that could capture the Jewish national awakening unfolding in Europe […]

By Rabbi Sam Trief, Rabbi Rachael Klein Miller, and Rabbi Loren Filson Lapidus When most people begin rabbinical school, they may imagine late nights with Talmud, spirited debates about theology and Israel, and learning to lead prayer from the bimah. They probably do not imagine meeting their husbands in Jerusalem and eventually moving to Atlanta. […]