Rabbi Arthur Weiner

As I write this Shabbat message, there are reports that Senator Robert Menendez will resign his seat in the United States Senate. After his conviction earlier this week on 16 federal charges, and the calls for his resignation from both local and national leaders growing louder and louder, it is the only responsible course of action. I join with other leaders who call for his immediate resignation. At the same time, I call upon all those who would seek national office that have been convicted of felonies to similarly resign immediately for the good of our nation. Yet I must tell you that I received the news of Senator Menendez's political downfall with profound sadness. Let me explain. Years ago, before I began my Rabbinical studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, I worked as a legislative aide in the New York State Assembly. I loved the job. It was one of the great educational experiences of my life. It exposed me to the real-life world of government, of pol...

I want you to imagine the following scenario. Let's say our synagogue was searching for a new member of our religious leadership team. In addition to whatever personal and professional qualities we might hope they would possess, I think we would all agree that a commitment to our deeply held religious values would be non-negotiable. In fact, I might say it is self-evident that someone who opposed them would not be a suitable candidate.   Last summer, our synagogue invited Cantor David Krasner to serve as our synagogue Chazan (he began his responsibilities after the High Holidays, but was hired last summer). Now imagine that during the interview process, we discovered that he publicly disseminated opinions expressing his contempt for our synagogue standards and religious policies. Despite his many gifts, we would never have hired him. We have standards, values, principles and beliefs that may not always be practiced by the members of our community, but must reflect the behavior...

With this week’s Torah reading of Parshat Korach , Rabbi Avram Kogen will begin his 15th year of service to the Jewish Community Center of Paramus/Congregation Beth Tikvah. I would like to publicly acknowledge Rabbi Kogen for his many contributions to the religious life of our congregation.  For the past 14 years Rabbi Kogen has served our congregation with distinction as our Torah reader on Shabbat and holidays. After Cantor Sam Weiss retired last year after his 26 years of devoted service to the congregation, Rabbi Kogen assumed additional responsibilities, including now serving as our Bar/Bat Mitzvah tutor. The outstanding Bnai Mitzvah we have celebrated this year reflect Rabbi Kogen’s dedication to our students and his tremendous skills. But the truth is he does so much more. He is a trusted friend and confidant to both me and Cantor Krasner. He served as a mentor to our recent rabbinic intern Sami Vingron. He leads many of our religious services, including significant pa...