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What Does It Mean to Be a Friend of the Jewish People?

The death of Senator Lindsey Graham on Saturday night was met with an extraordinary outpouring of grief throughout the Jewish community and the State of Israel. That grief was genuine and deserved. Senator Graham was a true friend of Israel and the Jewish people. He recognized the danger posed by Iran and by other violent and destabilizing regimes in the Middle East. He spoke clearly about terrorism, without euphemism or apology. He understood that Israel is not merely another small country somewhere on the other side of the world, but a vital democratic ally of the United States. For the Jewish people, he was something increasingly rare these days. He understood antisemitism. He did not minimize it, rationalize it, or explain it away. When Jews were threatened, Senator Graham was prepared to say so. When Israel was unfairly singled out, he was prepared to defend it. When others equivocated, he spoke with clarity. For that, the Jewish community owes him gratitude. And yet, ther...
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When Partisanship Trumps Principle: What the Graham Platner Scandal Reveals About Us

In recent days, the political world has been consumed by the implosion of the Senate campaign of Graham Platner of Maine. The allegations against him are serious, disturbing, and, if true, deeply disqualifying. It is entirely appropriate that they be investigated thoroughly and that there be accountability where accountability is warranted. Yet as I have followed this story, I have found myself thinking less about Graham Platner and more about us. Because this story is not really about one candidate. It is about a dangerous habit that has become increasingly common in American political life. For months, credible allegations about Platner's treatment of women circulated in news reports and public discussions. Yet only Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and some Maine party leaders questioned why Democrats were rallying behind him despite documented issues and controversies. His many supporters, including leading Democrats dismissed them, ignored them, or explained them away...
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America at 250: A Jewish Reflection on Gratitude and Responsibility

This Shabbat, the United States will celebrate its 250th birthday.   It’s a remarkable milestone. Few nations endure for two and a half centuries. Fewer still emerge from those centuries as prosperous, influential, and free as the United States has been. Yet this anniversary arrives at a complicated moment. We live in an era of political polarization, social division, and declining trust in many of our institutions. It has become fashionable in some circles to focus almost exclusively on America’s shortcomings, while others insist that any criticism of the nation is somehow unpatriotic. Neither approach is particularly helpful. As Jews, we are perhaps uniquely positioned to offer a more balanced perspective. One of the fascinating aspects of American history is the extent to which the Founding Fathers looked to the Hebrew Bible for inspiration. Did you know that Benjamin Franklin proposed a national seal depicting Moses leading the Israelites through the Red Sea. Or that Thom...
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If You Read Just One Article About The Memorandum Of Understanding With Iran, Make It This One

From the moment it was announced, I have been gravely concerned with the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was signed between our nation and Iran. Those with good memories will remember that I was particularly outspoken in my criticism of the original JCPOA, the nuclear deal with Iran that was signed during the Obama administration. That was a terrible agreement. The one signed last week by President Trump is far worse.  I have spoken with many members of our congregation about the MOU and discussed it at length last Shabbat. In those conversations, I have yet to encounter anyone who does not have serious reservations about its potential consequences for both the United States and Israel. But in my conversations, I realized that people have been reading and hearing about the MOU, and what others are saying about it, but few if any have actually read it, and fully understand just how terrible the MOU actually is.  So this week, I'm going to do something I have only d...
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Thank You Rabbi Kogen

This Shabbat, Rabbi Avram Kogen begins his seventeenth year of service to our congregation. It is a remarkable milestone, and one that deserves our gratitude and recognition. In thinking about this anniversary, I was reminded of a well-known piece of Jewish gematria , or numerology. The Hebrew word tov —good—has a numerical value of seventeen. I am not one to place much weight on gematria . Most of the time, I view it as nonsense.   Occasionally, I regard it as an interesting curiosity (and that is being generous) rather than a source of profound insight. But every now and then, a numerical coincidence feels exactly right. This is one of those times. For during his entire tenure with us, now entering his seventeenth year, Rabbi Kogen has brought an abundance of tov to our congregation. Good judgment. Good scholarship. Good friendship. Good counsel. Good humor. Good Torah. Good leadership.              ...
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There Was Room Under the Tent

This week, I found myself thinking about a tragic story that recently concluded in a Texas courtroom. For those unfamiliar with the case, a brief summary can be found here . Last April, at a high school track meet, a severe storm forced hundreds of students to seek shelter from the rain. A seventeen-year-old student found his way to a tent that belonged to another school. What began as a dispute over space escalated into an argument. The argument became a confrontation. The confrontation became violent. One teenager shoved a student. The other responded by pulling out a knife and stabbing him in the chest. A young man lost his life. Another young man was recently sentenced to decades in prison. As is often the case in America, the story quickly became entangled in debates about race, politics, self-defense, and social justice. Commentators rushed to fit the tragedy into familiar ideological categories. Yet before any of those larger questions, I found myself troubled by something m...
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