Friday October 7, 2022 – י”ב תשרי תשפ”ג Yom Kippur is meant to be a wake-up call. Sure, it’s a time for personal reflection, prayer, introspection, repairing relationships, and for wiping the slates clean to enable a fresh start. But it’s also a moment to ask the big questions, specifically “Who am I?” and “What […]
Friday September 30, 2022 – ה’ בתשרי תשפ”ג חִזְק֣וּ וְאִמְצ֔וּ אַל־תִּֽירְא֥וּ וְאַל־תַּעַרְצ֖וּ מִפְּנֵיהֶ֑ם כִּ֣י ׀ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ ה֚וּא הַהֹלֵ֣ךְ עִמָּ֔ךְ לֹ֥א יַרְפְּךָ֖ וְלֹ֥א יַעַזְבֶֽךָּ׃ (דברים לא:ו) “Be strong and resolute, be not in fear or in dread of them; for it is indeed your God יהוה who marches with you: [God] will not fail you or […]
The world and the Reform Movement lost a giant this week. ARZA and the Reform Movement mourns the loss of Rabbi Hank Skirball who passed away in Israel on Rosh HaShanah at the age of 93. Rabbi Skirball was one of the great leaders of the Reform Movement and an ardent Zionist. Originally from Boston, […]
“I truly believe that even after we possess our land, Zionism will not cease to be an ideal. For Zionism includes not only the yearning for a plot of promised land legally acquired for our weary people but also the yearning for ethical and spiritual fulfillment.” ~ Theodor Herzl Dear Friends, Thank you for taking […]
Friday September 16, 2023 – כ׳ אֱלוּל תשפ״ב לְמַ֤עַן צִיּוֹן֙ לֹ֣א אֶחֱשֶׁ֔ה וּלְמַ֥עַן יְרוּשָׁלַ֖͏ִם לֹ֣א אֶשְׁק֑וֹט עַד־יֵצֵ֤א כַנֹּ֙גַהּ֙ צִדְקָ֔הּ וִישׁוּעָתָ֖הּ כְּלַפִּ֥יד יִבְעָֽר׃ (ישעיהו סב א) “For the sake of Zion I will not be silent, For the sake of Jerusalem I will not be still, Till her victory emerge resplendent And her triumph like a […]
Friday, September 9, 2022 – י״ג אֱלוּל תשפ״ב He said all the right things – a truly heartfelt apology and acceptance of responsibility for what happened. However, those whose lives were changed forever on that bloody day a jubilee of years ago were not so quick to forgive. “We cannot make up for what has […]
Friday September 2, 2022 – ו׳ אֱלוּל תשפ״ב Claiming Herzl’s Legacy The Search for True Pluralism Reclaiming Zionism Theodor Herzl is known as the visionary of the Jewish State (חוזה המדינה in Hebrew). This week, in Basel, Switzerland we celebrated Herzl’s vision first articulated 125 years ago at the First World Zionist Congress. The question […]
Friday, August 26, 2022 – כ״ט אָב תשפ”ב From the David Matlow Herzl and Zionism Collection (www.herzlcollection.com) Photos: Kevin Viner, Elevator Digital, Toronto “At Basel, I founded the Jewish State. If I said this out loud today, l would be greeted by universal laughter. In five years perhaps, and certainly, in fifty years, […]
Friday August 19, 2022 – כ״ב אָב תשפ״ב The late great Zvika Pik, of blessed memory, passed away on Sunday. In reflecting on his life, we are given key insights into an iconic Israeli popstar, but also something much more. Pik’s life-long contributions to the arts and culture have become standards on the list of […]
Friday, August 12, 2022 – טוּ בְּאָב תשפ”ב וְזֹ֖את הַתּוֹרָ֑ה אֲשֶׁר־שָׂ֣ם מֹשֶׁ֔ה לִפְנֵ֖י בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (דברים ד:מד) “This is the Torah that Moses set before the Israelites:” (Deuteronomy 4:44) The Prophetic Book of Nehemiah (Ch. 8) gives an account of, perhaps, the first documented public Torah reading event in Jewish history. According to the Bible, […]
