It’s Our Story
Last week’s Torah reading was mostly the story of Noah and the Flood. One of the more curious elements of the tale is what happens when the earth dries out enough for the animals and their human tenders to exit the vessel.
Bee Juice
My recent posts...After havdala ended last week’s Galeem (“waves,” our Sunday school), the usual joyful mayhem erupted in the lobby: Kids running down halls for a water bottle, a work of art, a lollipop; parents calling after them “Remember your ________!”; brief...
Welcome to”chol”
A couple days of magnificent weather have been a welcome respite from the bounty of precipitation during Sukkot and the closing festival days. This morning, we stored away our sukkah — unscathed by the nor’easter — for next year.
Kol Nidre – All Vows
My recent posts...kol nidrei, all MY vows? Rabbi Jonathan Kremer kol nidrei, all vows. ALL vows? All my vows? How can I possibly remember them all? Those silent frustrations: I swear I could... I said what? Well, I didn't mean it that way! The thick-as-mud silent...
Run – Hide – Fight
Worst Massacre Since the Previous Massacre
Waking up to news of a mass shooting at a Chabad-organized Hanukkah event in Sydney, Australia, I checked some online news sources. Associated Press reported that the Australian Prime Minister condemned the incident as “an attack on every Australian.”
That AP report included this:
The massacre followed a wave of antisemitic attacks that have roiled Australia over the past year, although the authorities didn’t suggest those episodes and Sunday’s mass shooting were connected.
Dear Australian authorities, I can help here. One thing connects all those attacks: They targeted JEWS!
We seethe at the callous terrorists, we mourn with those whose loved ones were killed and we ache for the wounded who may never fully recover. (Can anyone fully recover?) We mourn another loss of innocence, we reluctantly consider the costs of adding more security and the potential costs of not doing so.
At a JFED security training last week, we reviewed the RUN – HIDE – FIGHT responses to an active shooter. Those actions are also our options for living Jewishly; only one of them will have any lasting effect: FIGHT!
We fight such attacks when we show up, when we teach our children, when we proudly display our Hanukkah candles in street-facing windows.
Show up! Light up!
2:00 TODAY (12/14/2025) Community Chanukah Celebration at the JCC
5:15 TODAY (12/14/2025) Community Menorah Lighting at the Chabad Center in Ventnor!
… and look for other gatherings you can enrich with your presence.