Voices

Proud of Israel, Proud to be Israeli

Alan P. Gross My wife, Judy, and I made aliyah in May 2017. Our time is divided between Tel Aviv and the U.S., although more...

Israel: The Jewish State and the State of the Jews

Ralph Grunewald We are living in unprecedented times here in Israel, and we are witnessing history being made. Before moving to Israel, I devoted decades...

Cotton Balls on the Seder Plate

By Nechama Liss-Levinson This year, as I celebrate Passover, I will put some cotton balls on the seder plate. Hopefully, as with so much of...
Photo by Alan Elsner

My Menachem Begin Socks

By Alan Elsner On a recent trip to Israel, I went into the gift shop operated by Moshav Yotfat near an archeological site in the...

These texts tell us we must find ourselves in one another

By Robbie Schaefer Pikpa Refugee Camp, Lesvos, Greece. June, 2016. “No problem?” asks Sahar, pointing at my guitar. This is her favorite English phrase. She is...

Local Governments Are Poised To Tackle Antisemitism

Joel Rubin As the father of two biracial Jewish daughters in the Montgomery County Public Schools, and as an elected local government official, I’m acutely...

How the Passover Seder Can Help Build Jewish Allies

Marnie Fienberg Everywhere we turn, we hear about the rising tide of antisemitism, a story that almost seems to be writing an alternative version of...

COVID Nearly Killed Me

Rabbi Jeremy Kridel I had COVID and a heart attack. To be more specific, I had COVID, and it gave me a heart attack. I had...

A New Prayer for Israel

By Alan Elsner Like many American Jews, I have been watching recent events in Israel with consternation, wondering what might be an appropriate way to...

Meet the leaders in the local battle against antisemitism

Rabbi Adam Raskin The heroes of the struggle against the recent spate of antisemitism in Montgomery County Public Schools are the bold and resolute high...