Rabbi Arthur Weiner

I had a variety of thoughts and emotions as I watched the release of Israel's captives freed last Shabbat, and yesterday morning, as well as the tragic release of Palestinian terrorists from Israeli prisons. I felt elation and joy over the return of Israelis to the loving arms of their families and their nation. But that was accompanied by sorrow and anger over the bitter price that Israel paid for their release. I wrote about that in last week's Shabbat message , so I won't rehash that here. Watching the heroes' welcome given to vile terrorists is a troubling reminder of the honor that Palestinian society bestows upon those who injure and murder Israelis. We know from previous lopsided prisoner exchanges that many will resume their terrorist agenda. Israelis will die in the future as a result. That is why I personally opposed every previous such prisoner exchange. I did not oppose this one, simply because of the sheer number of Israeli hostages. But the joy that world ...

What joy and relief the families of the hostages, the people of Israel, and the worldwide Jewish community felt last Sunday as the first of Israel’s hostages were released from their brutal, illegal, and immoral captivity.  Romi Gonen was abducted from the Nova music festival after being shot by invading terrorists while she was on the phone with her mother. Emily Damari was kidnapped from her apartment in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, as was Doron Steinbrecher, also of Kfar Aza.     I personally witnessed the terrible destruction of that community when I traveled to Israel with a group of Rabbis last January. Last Sunday, the Israel Defense Force (IDF)   also announced that it had successfully carried out a covert operation in Gaza to recover the body of a fallen soldier, Staff Sergeant Oron Shaul, who died in combat in 2014 during Operation Protective Edge. His body was held hostage by Hamas for over a decade. It’s been 15 months of bloody war, negotiations, and emotion...

I began to write this Shabbat message on Wednesday evening, just several hours after the announcement of the cease-fire and hostage release deal. I am acutely aware that much of what I write could easily be obsolete by the time it reaches you. It’s a highly fluid and dynamic situation. There are a lot of moving pieces.   The devil is in the details.   By now, the outline of the deal is clear. 33 hostages are expected to be released in the first phase of what is essentially a three-part deal. The first stage calls for a 42-day ceasefire.   According to reports, the first hostages might be released as early as Sunday.  94 people are still believed to be held by Hamas and their allies, of which at least 60 are still believed to be alive.  It is expected that there will be dead bodies among the 33 scheduled for the initial release. The release of 33 hostages is of course wonderful news, something for which the Israeli government and the worldwide Jewish commu...

Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, died last Sunday after a long illness. Immediately upon the news of his death, tributes from both Republicans and Democrats poured in, as did praise from world leaders. Even Donald Trump, who in 2019 called Carter "a good man but a terrible president," offered his praise and condolences. This Shabbat, I would like to dwell on several policies and decisions of the Carter years that directly impacted the Jewish community, and that continue to influence and even haunt us to this day. I have always believed that when talking about controversial political figures, Rabbis and Jewish communal leaders must be scrupulously and unflinchingly fair. So let me begin with some decisions and policies of the Carter administration that would prove to be of tremendous benefit to the Jewish community in the United States and throughout the world. It is important to begin with these significant achievements for two reasons. The first is th...