The problem isn’t that Israel has power. It’s that we don’t use it the way the world expects us to. Most people are accustomed to nation-states that, once they acquire power, seek expansion: land, wealth, control. History is full of empires built on taxes, gr*ed, ensl*vement, c*nquest, forced religion, s*bjugation, and hegemony. But the State of Israel doesn’t fit that model. We are not fighting to become an empire. We already have power. We have the minds, the innovation, th

My grandmother passed on Zot Channukah- the 8th night- 10 years ago. The first few years the grief was steep. Raw. I missed her so much, the ache clawing away with every new moment or milestone that she missed. All the time I picked up the phone to call her. We used to talk every day. She was fine until she wasn’t. And on my grandfather’s yartzeit on the 6th night of Channukah- she began to slip away. Finally leaving us on the last night. The last few years, as much as I’ve m

I think in 2025, Jews all around the world are experiencing a loss of identity. For many of us, the places where we come from, or the places where we live in the diaspora, no longer feel safe. We don't recognize what they have become. It may no longer feel like home. The places and cultures that raised us feel so foreign. Their values no longer make sense, our neighborhoods no longer feel welcome. Can we talk about how devastating that is? Even for us olim, who have chosen to

This scene from the funeral of Rabbi Eli Schlanger HY"D is shattering. This man had dedicated his life to making the world a better place for Jewish people. Helping them commit to their Judaism. Beautifying their lives with our traditions. Tefillin. Menorah. Shabbat. He was k*lled while doing exactly what he believed in most: bringing light into the world. A Chabad shaliach at Bondi Beach, a husband, and the father of five (the youngest 2 months old), he was on the beach on C

If I was going to a public Chanukah event in 2025 in the diaspora, and there wasn't security presence there, at this point, I wouldn't go. This is a picture that the NYPD posted in response the the m*ssacre of Jews in Sydney yesterday. They said "While there is currently no specific or credible thr*at to Hanukkah celebrations here, the NYPD will be out in full force at events and synagogues so that our communities can gather safely." I have no idea how long this protection wi

Matilda was ten years old, the youngest victim of the Bondi Beach mass*cre. Her aunt described her as “a very sweet, happy child, with a beautiful smile.” Her teacher said she was bright, joyful, spirited; a child who brought light wherever she went and had many friends. They are reporting that she loved the simple, ordinary goodness of life: walks on the beach, picnics in the park, trips to the zoo. She had a sister who she was inseperable from. Another little girl who now h

I’m not going to show you that video. I’m not going to tell you the details of the news. The situation in Sydney at Bondi Beach is evolving; the injured, the de*d. A mass casualty event at a Chanukah event - Jews running for their lives, bodies and bl**d everywhere… It’s too familiar. Too sickening. Too outrageous. Too expected. I wish that people believed those who say they are going to k*ll us. But I don’t want to talk about the failings of governments and politicians and t

Whoever saves one life is considered as if they saved an entire world.” - Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5 This verse is often used when we stand in awe of lifesaving events. When even just one person saved we consider it to be miraculous. Thus is the Jewish sancitity of each of us, we choose life, always. Only now, after seeing the live h*stages return home, am I learning what this phrase truly means. Here is Alon Ohel. He is a classical-jazz pianist with bright dreams and music that m

We're watching these two come back to life. In February of last year, we saw these two, emaciated and imprisoned. Pale and so far gone. In our hearts we knew there was a chance that we would never get them out alive. They were forced to watch other h*stages be released while they we kept behind. We prayed and wept and screamed and the months kept passing. By Tisha Ba'av we saw Evyatar David, barely able to stand, being forced to "dig his own grave" by H*mas. It didn't look li

Sasha and I spent the morning together on the day I interviewed him. We gathered food for breakfast and sat outside overlooking the sea. Every few moments, another therapist approached him; telling him how often they thought of him when he was in captivity in G*za, how they prayed for him. One woman told him how surreal it was to see him in real life, after a poster of him sat on her couch for a year and half. Most people said, "I'm sure you get sick of hearing this, but..."