Rabbi Arthur Weiner

In the aftermath of Pesach, this time on the Jewish calendar is particular meaningful.    Five days after Pesach ended, we observed Yom Hashoah , Holocaust Remembrance Day.    This week we have had the back to back observances of Yom Hazikaron , Memorial Day for the fallen soldiers and victims of terror to be immediately followed by the celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut , Israel Independence Day. There is something especially meaningful about being able to mark these three momentous days in Israel.    Solemnity and celebration, which marks this period of time, has begun to be referred to here as the spring “High Holiday” period.    I write these words shortly after returning home from the ceremony marking the start of Yom Hazikaron , Memorial Day.    It is a day filled with solemnity and sadness.    Despite living here full time for only a little over three years, and despite that the names of the fallen were limited to those fro...

We are living through a moment that feels unusually heavy. There is deep division here in America. There is war. And there is often painful tension within our own Jewish communities. Conversations that used to feel simple now feel charged. Relationships are strained. People are worried. And it’s not just a feeling. Recent surveys reflect this unease. Studies from the Pew Research Center show that a strong majority of Americans believe the country is more divided today than in the past. Polling from Gallup shows declining optimism about the future and historically low trust in institutions. People are not only concerned about what’s happening. They are unsure where it’s all heading. It is, in many ways, a difficult time to feel hopeful. And then, I came across something completely different. A humorous collection of church signs popped up in my news feed. And I have been laughing, and thinking about them for a few days. You have seen those marquee and billboard signs outside chu...

Several years ago, I spoke to the congregation about the United Nations’ World Happiness Report . At the time, many of us found the results surprising. Israel ranked near the very top of the list, despite years of war, political turmoil, and deep internal divisions.   I remember asking then: how could this be? The answer, as Israeli researchers at the time explained, is that the report did not really measure “happiness” in the way we usually think of it. It measured something deeper — what they called “life satisfaction.” We can define this as a sense that one’s life has meaning, purpose, and connection. That insight stayed with me. This Shabbat, I want to revisit this idea under very different circumstances. Since that original sermon, Israel has endured several more years of war, national trauma, and upheaval. October 7th and everything that followed changed Israel in profound and painful ways. If there were ever a moment when we might expect Israel to fall in such a rankin...