Free Speech: The Gray Area
On Thursday, January 11 at 4pm ET, T’ruah invites you to begin to disentangle your thoughts on "Free Speech: The Gray Area" with T'ruah's Rabbi Jill Jacobs and Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America.
read more
A Commitment to Justice Means Remembering Our Tribes
But whether or not the Sinai wilderness was ever ownerless as the midrash suggests, in North America, the so-called wildernesses never have been. Those places — and indeed every square mile of North America — have always been, and continue to be, the home of specific tribes of Indigenous peoples.
read more
Shemot: The Burning Bush in my Backyard
Despite his reservations, [Moses] is able to see that God’s presence illuminates even the most unassuming, seemingly dark and thorny places. May we, with all our insecurities, do the same.
read more
How Patience Destroys the Hope of Redemption
My step-daughter has a very distinctive sense of style, part Goth, part Emo, part anime, part steam-punk, part Asian, part her. She is also very petite, and finds it hard to find the clothes that she likes in her size. We recently realized that we can often find things that fit her if we order...
read more
2013 Rabbinic Letter on Bedouin Rights
In 2013, nearly 800 rabbis, cantors, and rabbinical and cantorial students signed this letter, which was delivered to the Israeli government. As spiritual and Jewish community leaders who care deeply about the State of Israel, we write to you in solidarity with concerned Jewish and Arab Israelis to urge you to withdraw the Bill on...
read more
Pekudei: Culpability on the Southern Border
I went to Juárez seeking a window into what is happening along our southern border, but I left staring at a mirror of culpability and responsibility.
read more
“She is more righteous than me”
It was impossible for me to read this week’s Torah portion—or indeed, do much else—without thinking of the House voting, just a week and a half ago, to raise substantially the barriers for Syrian refugees to enter the United States. And I saw an echo of the hysteria—yes, I will call it that—sweeping our country...
read more
The Just Harvest of Summer
The intoxicating smell of ripe fruit is just too enticing. My niece takes a bite from one of the peaches we have been picking from an orchard this morning. As the juice runs down her chin, she gives me a sheepish smile as if asking if it is OK for her to be doing this....
read more