We are about to celebrate the Jewish New Year, a Rosh Hashanah like no other. Synagogues across America and the world are adjusting their services to the Covid-19 restrictions limiting physical gatherings. Besides the loss of lives, individual members and…
On Sunday, September 6, I posted an article on my blog in Times of Israel titled, “There Is a Jessica Krug in Every Jew,” where I explained that the tendency, or wish, to eschew our role in the world is common to…
On Sunday, September 6, I posted an article on my blog in Times of Israel titled, “There Is a Jessica Krug in Every Jew,” (http://bit.ly/TOIKrugFB) where I explained that the tendency, or wish, to eschew our role in the world…
Some six months ago, the first Covid-19 patient passed away in Israel. Now, after breaking another record in the number of new confirmed cases and widening our “lead” as the country with the most infections per-capita, we are finally beginning…
Israel is now the world leader in new coronavirus disease cases. That is, every other country in the world has fewer coronavirus infections per capita than Israel. Data from Johns Hopkins University has revealed that Israel averaged 199.3 new cases a day…
A few days ago, a George Washington University African history professor confessed that she had pretended for many years to be of Afro-Latina descent, when in fact she was white and Jewish. As part of her identity, she even spoke…
The American Dream is dead and buried. All that’s left of it are shattered houses destroyed by storms, smoking ashes of burnt down towns, frightened families in downtown cities where gunfire is routine, and a virus that’s spreading out of…
Images of profound introspection and deeply connected community depict the vivid atmosphere of the Days of Awe (yamim hanoraim), that pack synagogues every fall. This year, for the first time in history, COVID-19 will give a completely different feel to…
In less than a month, we will be wishing one another Shanah Tova (have a good year), the Hebrew equivalent of Happy New Year. But the beginning of the Hebrew year is not only a time of joy. First and…
Now that Covid-19 has imposed social distancing on us, many establishments that rely on physical attendance have a problem. Among them are shuls. According to a story on Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), “The pandemic’s first High Holiday season has synagogues…
American society is on the move. More than one in five US adults, 22% of the population, has relocated or knows someone likely to do so as a consequence of Covid-19’s socioeconomic impact, according to a recent study. Silicon Valley…
Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam), who wrote the Sulam (Ladder) commentary to The Zohar, wrote four introductions to The Zohar in order to provide us with a sturdy foundation for approaching the book. Without thoroughly understanding the concepts that Baal HaSulam describes in these introductions, it is…