June 22, 2021
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One of the most amazing and impactful classes I’ve ever taken.” “A chance to learn from an engaging book, other Jewish teens, and rabbis in the community.” “An amazing opportunity to strengthen support for Israel by learning to critique and disagree with some of its actions.” These are just a few of the comments offered […]
Continue readingMay 26, 2021
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Duluth-native Tom Nides has been selected to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Israel, according to several American and Israeli media reports. Nides, who graduated from the University of Minnesota, served in the Obama administration as deputy secretary of state, and the Clinton administration as the chief of staff to the U.S. Trade Representative. JTA […]
Continue readingMay 25, 2021
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Against the backdrop of a complex geopolitical conflict taking place on the other side of the globe, Americans in general and American Jews, in particular, are navigating the sea of ideas and information, of opinion and expression. Social media is a powerful tool for sharing information and opinions but is terrible for discussing this and […]
Continue readingMay 25, 2021
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St. Louis Park police said that they received two reports of bias crimes related to antisemitic posters that were put up in the Fern Hill neighborhood, around 26th and Quentin. The posters, seen in the image above, were taken down by police. Dan Plekkenpol, the community security director at the Jewish Community Relations Council of […]
Continue readingMay 21, 2021
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Those not infected by extremism and hatred began to meet it with the mixture of black humor, determination, and PTSD that defend and define each of us in Israel.
Continue readingMay 20, 2021
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Last week I stood in the scorching sun of the desert. I stood on the improbable grass under my feet which had a sophisticated water system, men and women working the grounds, and a splash of modern miracle. And while it might sound like this was Israel, it was rather Israel in Scottsdale, Arizona. Sports […]
Continue readingMay 18, 2021
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On Thursday, May 13, I was part of a crowd of Minnesotans gathered at the State Capitol building in St. Paul to show our support for the State of Israel during the current efforts to defend its citizens from the aggression of the recognized Palestinian terror organization Hamas. Following many rockets on Israeli citizens, the […]
Continue readingMay 14, 2021
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This week we begin the book of Bamidbar. Literally translated, the title of this book is ‘In the Wilderness,’ but the English name somehow ended up as Numbers. Actually, though, that’s not too surprising. The very first chapter of the book of Numbers is quite simply that — a list of numbers. It’s basically a […]
Continue readingMay 13, 2021
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Over the course of this past year, I have spent countless hours leading conversations about Israel using a curriculum called iEngage Israel. The program which was offered in a half dozen Minneapolis synagogues was sponsored by the Minneapolis Jewish Federation. Rather than discuss the history or politics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we discussed Jewish values […]
Continue readingMay 13, 2021
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Tired, scared, isolated. That’s how it’s felt in recent days with the current round of violence in Israel. Even though we aren’t under threat of actual rockets or airstrikes here in Minnesota, it can often feel like we are. I’m accused of supporting ethnic cleansing, white supremacy and genocide against Palestinians by the left. The […]
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