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A Personal High Holiday Invitation

On Sunday, the new Hebrew month of Elul begins. Elul is the unofficial start of the High Holiday season. As Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur approach, I want to share a personal and heartfelt request: I would truly love to see you and your families at the JCCP/CBT for Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur this year. Please plan to be with us in person in the building this year. This year, more than ever, I hope we can come together as one congregation — in person — to pray, reflect, and celebrate the Days of Awe. I want to see our sanctuary once again filled with familiar faces, voices joined in song and prayer, and the powerful feeling that only a full congregation can create during these sacred moments. In recent years, we’ve all had to adapt in different ways. Much thought and care went into making our High Holiday experiences meaningful while ensuring everyone felt safe and supported. I’m proud of the dedication our community showed and grateful that we remained connected, whether in perso...
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Hate Has A Definition, and New Jersey Must Name It

Anti-Semitism, and especially antisemitic hate crimes, have reached unprecedented levels since October 7 th 2023. According to data released by the FBI earlier this month, antisemitic hate crimes in recent years have broken all previous statistical records. In 2024, even as the number of hate crimes overall actually decreased in the US, crimes committed against Jews increased by 5.8 percent, the largest total recorded in over 30 years. We are 2% of the US population, but subject to 69% of all religious based hate crimes. The problem is real. And law enforcement needs tools and resources, including a working definition of exactly what antisemitism is.   In this climate, clarity matters. Definitions matter. And leadership matters. Three weeks ago, Jason Shames, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, testified before the State and Local Government Committee of the NJ State Assembly in support of Bill A3558. This legislation would formally adopt the International...
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Tisha B’Av: A Day of Remembrance and Responsibility

On Saturday night, we begin the observance of Tisha B'Av, the fast of the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av. Tisha B’Av is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. On this day, we commemorate the destruction of the First Temple by the Babylonians in 586 BCE and the Second Temple by the Romans in 70 CE, along with a series of other tragedies that have shaped the course of Jewish history. It is a day of mourning, fasting, and reflection, a day to look back and remember periods of profound loss and suffering in our collective past. The Mishnah (Ta’anit 4:6) teaches that five major calamities occurred on this day: The decree that the Israelites would wander the desert for 40 years The destruction of the First and Second Temples The fall of Betar, the stronghold of Bar Kochba, in 135 CE, ending the last major Jewish resistance to Roman rule The Romans plowed over the city, destroying any remaining buildings and quashing any hopes that the Temple would be rebui...
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Understanding the Nine Days: A Journey Through Mourning, Memory, and Meaning

As the new Hebrew month of Av begins this Shabbat, a season of quiet communal sorrow starts this evening that continues through Tisha B’Av known as The Nine Days. This period is the culmination of what we call the Three Weeks, a season marked by remembrance and reverence.   The Talmud gently reminds us: When the month of Av begins, we diminish in joy . We don’t diminish joy out of despair, but to create space for reflection on the loss of both the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. I hope that this week’s Shabbat message helps you better understand this important time of the Jewish year. The Nine Days are not a retreat into gloom, but an invitation to lean into soul-searching and solidarity. Our sages teach that “those who mourn Jerusalem will one day rejoice in its rebuilding.” And in a breathtaking twist of hope, tradition suggests the Messiah is to be born on Tisha B’Av , the saddest day of the year.   This special season of the year teaches us that we must face br...
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From Hope to Havoc: The Syrian Setback

What a difference a week makes. Last week, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington, there was great optimism over the prospects of some type of formal agreement between Israel and the new government of Syria. Despite the jihadist and ISIS past of new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, both Israel and the Trump administration were working to both strengthen Syria's new government and forge a new era, removing a historically significant strategic threat from Israel's northern border. A stable Syria, cooperating with Israel, and improving ties with the United States would be a significant setback for Iran, and Russia. To help achieve these goals, the Trump administration recently dismantled American sanctions against Syria, despite significant misgivings over the new government and its actual control over Syrian territory. There was even talk of Syria joining the Abraham Accords. But that was last week. Earlier this week, fighting erupted between local...
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This Sunday, We Fast to Remember And to Rebuild

This Sunday, we observe Shivah Assar B'Tammuz — the fast of the 17th day of the Hebrew month of Tammuz. While it is one of the minor fast days on the Jewish calendar, its spiritual and historical weight is deeply significant. It begins a three week period of mourning, introspection, and repair in the Jewish calendar, culminating in Tisha B’Av , the 9th of Av,   the saddest day of the Jewish year, when we remember the destruction of both the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. This year, the fast of Shivah Assar B’Tammuz will be observed from 4:26 AM to 8:58 PM. The Mishnah (Ta’anit 4:6) lists five tragic events that occurred on the 17 th of Tammuz: The breaking of the Tablets : Moses shattered the first set of Tablets upon witnessing the sin of the Golden Calf. The cessation of the daily Temple offering ( Tamid ): Due to Roman siege, the sacrificial service was halted. The breach of Jerusalem's walls : In the year 69 CE, after a prolonged Roman...
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If You Read Just One Article About Israel and Iran, Make It This One

I pride myself on always writing a new message to the synagogue and greater community each Shabbat. I have done this for many years, sharing my own thoughts and ideas on subjects and matters of consequence to our synagogue, community, and the greater Jewish community. But this week I’m going to make an exception. This week, I am not sharing something that I’ve written, but rather an amazing article that someone else wrote.  If there is one article about Israel’s recent strikes against Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile facilities that you should read, it’s this one. This article is, without a doubt, the finest thing that I have read on the subject, explaining not only why Israel made the decision to strike, but also why the strike had to happen when it did. The article was written by David Horowitz, the editor in chief of the Times of Israel , among Israel’s most trusted English language news sources. I hope that you will find this article as interesting, compelling, and imp...
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