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When Criminal Irresponsibility And Official Disinterest Collide On A Busy Brooklyn Street

Last Shabbat, I walked home from synagogue without incident, as I have done thousands of times over the years. Yet, 24 hours later, I learned of a family in Brooklyn whose walk home from Shabbat morning services was tragically different. A devastating car crash claimed the lives of a young mother and two of her three children, leaving several others injured. Sadly, automobile accidents on Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn are common. Yet even in a city that has seen too many auto related mishaps, especially since the end of the pandemic, this accident stood out. What made this accident especially shocking was that the driver of the vehicle that caused the accident should never have been behind the wheel in the first place. Multiple news sources reported that the driver had 93 moving violations and other tickets in the past 18 months including 20 speed camera tickets and 5 red light tickets, as well as over $10,000 in unpaid fines.  Her license had also been suspended. We have heard...

It's Time To Sell Your Chametz: This Year We Are Aiming For 100% Participation

I recently received an email from a Rabbinical organization, urging members to support their annual appeal. The email ended with the statement "We are aiming for 100% participation from the membership." I liked the message, and I liked the approach. I also thought that it would be a great way to talk about the mitzvah of selling our chametz before Passover. Each year, I try to come up with a new way to talk about why this simple and easy step is so important to our observance of Passover. I also want to send the message to every member of the community that we too are aiming for 100% participation. Understanding the Sale of Chametz: A Key Mitzvah for Passover We encourage you to sell your chametz. Each year, we send out the Sale of Chametz forms for you to return to the synagogue. Here is the link to the synagogue website where you can download the form right now! Alternatively, it will be included in the annual Passover bulletin that will be mailed to the congregation...

When Your Beloved Doctor is A Terrorist Sympathizer

Six years ago, I publicly called for the resignation of then Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino after he made a series of racist comments . Although he later acknowledged and apologized for his words—and despite his otherwise distinguished 47 year career in law enforcement—this lapse in judgment and leadership could not be overlooked. Within a few days of those comments becoming public, he resigned. I made that call with a heavy heart. On one hand, I recognized that Sheriff Saudino had provided exceptional service to our community; his leadership was instrumental during a time of crisis. In January 2012, when the JCCP/CBT, was among five synagogues in Bergen County attacked by arsonists, law enforcement at every level—Paramus Police, the FBI, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, the NJ State Police, and especially the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department—rallied behind our community. It was Sheriff Saudino who personally met with Jewish communal leaders and addressed our concern...