Photo of the author, Rabbi Raysh Weiss

Sukkot: Building Housing in God’s Backyard

Where and how we live so deeply defines our relationship not only to ourselves, but to others and even to God. Stable, safe housing affords us the opportunity for refuge, growth, and connection.

Antisemitism Resources

T'ruah's collected resources on antisemitism.

Ladino socialist publication La Bos del Pueblo. Credit: New York Public Library.

A MULTI-ROOTED MOVEMENT: Sephardic Activists and Horizontal Alliances in the Early 20th Century

New scholarly work on how Jews of past generations advanced groundbreaking multiracial coalition work, and what the tensions they faced — including racism within the Jewish community — say about conditions today.

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Justice and Compassion (Parshat Shoftim)

by Rabbi Nelly Altenburger
Commentary on Parshat Shoftim (Deuteronomy 16:18 – 21:9) Parshat Shoftim opens with the injunction of setting judges and officers within your gates (Deut. 16:18). The proximity of Parshat Shoftim to the month of Elul has given way to an interesting inner connection, brought by several Hasidic masters (Avodat Israel, Devarim, Shoftim 1 ; Sefat Emet,...
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Openly Open (Parshat Re’eh)

by Rabbi Michael Rothbaum
A d’var Torah for Parshat Re’eh No miracles this week. Just another Torah portion in Deuteronomy. The days of the big fancy parshiot are over.  No 90-year-old’s miracle births this week.  No walls of water, no giant holes opening up to swallow the rebels. Just a list of laws, as the Torah heads towards its...
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Lo v’tzidkat’kha (not for your righteousness): Expulsion in Eikev (Parshat Eikev)

by Cantor Vera Broekhuysen
A d’var Torah for Parshat Eikev Just over three years ago, I sat at lunch with my husband and my food turned to ash in my mouth. I listened in horror as a man announced his candidacy for our country’s highest office, and in almost the same breath, spewed a venomous slew of accusations against...
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Those who served their time deserve a second chance (Shabbat Nachamu)

by Rabbi Edward C. Bernstein
A d’var Torah on Shabbat Nachamu Clarence Office, Jr., of Miami, FL, served in the U.S. Army for three years in the 1970s and was honorably discharged. Like many veterans, Clarence tragically fell into drug use and was arrested for drug offenses. He served a prison term and paid his debt to society. Clarence now...
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The Weeping Mother Speaks: On Tisha B’Av, Remembering the Pain of Separation

by Rabbi Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Rubenstein
Tisha B’Av reminds us: You know what this awful pain feels like. First, every year, we are supposed to practice feeling the excruciating dissonance between the way things are and the way they should be. We have to feel the deep outrage and pain of the crying mother. But we must also be Rachel, weeping not only for her children, but naming the more compassionate way of being that we know, that we remember is possible.
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We Are Unstoppable/Another World Is Possible

by Rabbi Arielle Lekach-Rosenberg
Rabbi Arielle Lekach-Rosenberg reflects on her visit to the San Diego-Tijuana border with T'ruah and HIAS.
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Real Leadership

by Rabbi David Ackerman
Rabbi David Ackerman on Pinchas' two distinct visions of leadership, and two sharply divergent paradigms of proper behavior on the part of a leader.
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A Very Brief Introduction to the Occupation

by Rabbi Lev Meirowitz Nelson and Rabbi Salem Pearce
This 16-page, pocket-sized pamphlet , produced by T’ruah in partnership with Breaking the Silence, offers basic definitions for understanding the Israeli occupation, testimonies from an Israeli soldier and a Palestinian civilian, a brief text study, and recommendations for further reading. Buy packets of booklets here, to share with your community, friends, and family. (Please allow...
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A New Zealotry

by Rabbi Eli Herb
Rabbi Eli Herb writes about Pinchas' zealotry.
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Protest Placards

Download and print yourself, or order a pack of seven on sturdy 19"x 25" cardboard.
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