Anyone can become a Jew, no matter whether one is French, Italian or any other nationality, because Jewishness is not via lineage. To become a Jew means to adopt a certain way of thinking, an attitude toward life and its…
What does it mean to follow the Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot? It means agreeing to erect a Schach, a thatched roof made out of plant scraps, which connects us under a single idea of unity, “as one man with one…
The best Schach is the inner Schach that we build out of “waste of barn and winery,” i.e. what our ego considers wasteful, ideas of love, unity, brotherhood and concern for others. We raise this Schach above our heads, making it the roof of our temporary…
Israel should not get involved in Syria. It makes no sense for Israel to get involved in such conflict zones. Israel is not a superpower. It’s a small nation, and it’s finding it hard enough to survive as it is.…
Synagogues across the globe are shutting down their doors for good. Demographic changes, financial problems, assimilation, and lack of interest in Jewish life among younger people, as well as the feeling of insecurity due to anti-Semitic attacks, are among the major factors that contribute to…
The shooting attack near a synagogue in Halle, Germany was yet another dreadful act of anti-Semitism on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. However, it could have been much worse if the 27-year-old attacker, who identified with the far-right,…
Post-trauma from recurring anti-Semitic incidents, the Holocaust and the pogroms has permeated entire generations of Jews. In Israel, anxiety and traumatic events are part of the daily reality affecting children, adolescents and the population in general. The average Israeli has experienced…
Two anti-Semitic events involving children that hit Australia in the past week are just the tip of the iceberg showing a worldwide boost in anti-Semitic sentiment, crimes and threats. The first was a 5-year-old who was revealed to be subject to anti-Semitic…
We Jews anger the Creator constantly, endlessly, and in every situation, when we agree to division and hatred among each other, and do not want to connect. The Creator strongly desires for us to be united because from that force…
The murder of Gedalia Ben Ahikam was the first political assassination where a Jew killed a Jew. This tragedy is commemorated on the day after Rosh Hashanah with the Fast of Gedaliah. Most likely we have hardly heard about this…
If other people’s failures can make us feel a bit better in our loss, Israel is not alone in the world in its political limbo after the second elections this year again left no clear winner. Similarly, Spain is headed for its fourth election…
Anti-Semitism emerged together with the emergence of the Jewish people in ancient Babylon about 4,000 years ago. Likewise, there are no causes of anti-Semitism specifically coming from the political left or right, as they both stem from the very causes…