Tag: Israel

Action and Responsibility: The Lessons of Noah

Our test is not just about personal survival or individual righteousness — it's about collective action and shared responsibility.

Boaz Davidoff February 10, 2025 Parashat Noach Parashat Noach Dvar Torah

Haftarah for Va-yiggash

The haftarah connects to the parashah through the reconciliation of the twelve brothers and the prophecy of a reunited Israel.

Etz Hayim Humash December 1, 2024 Ezekiel Neviim (Prophets)

Reflections on Death (1973)

Heschel writes in 1973 in "Reflections on Death": Life here and now is the task. Every moment can be an achievement.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel September 22, 2024 CJ Journal - 1945-1959 Confronting Death

Introduction to the Kaddish: For Those who Died in the Israeli War (1957)

Written by S.Y. Agnon in the Conservative Judaism Journal for those who died in the War of 1948, these words are especially fitting today.

Shmuel Yosef Agnon September 20, 2024 CJ Journal - 1945-1959 Conservative Judaism Journal

Welcoming Special Ushpizin for Sukkot This Year (5785)

This year, as we feel as fragile as the Sukkah itself, we offer a framework for Sukkot and Ushpizin – our Exalted Sanctified Guests.

Rabbi Jeremy Markiz September 20, 2024 Holidays Observing Sukkot

Tisha Be-Av In Rome, Under the Arch of Titus (1949)

Rabbi Abramowitz z''l: "...Tish'a be-Av amid the ruins of the Roman Empire [was] fraught with inner meaning and significance...in 1948"

Rabbi Meyer Abramowitz z''l June 30, 2024 CJ Journal - 1945-1959 Conservative Judaism Journal

I fought in Jerusalem in 1967: A Yom Yerushalayim Reflection

Fifty-seven years have passed since my company fought in the streets and alleys of Jerusalem, yet I remember it as if it happened yesterday.

Rabbi Gil Nativ May 19, 2024 Holidays Israel

Gathering Our People: Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’Atzma’ut

While I express my love for Jewish tradition, I am also holding the Jewish people in my hands and giving them a kiss as well.

Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal May 9, 2024 Holidays October 7th and Israel-Hamas War

A Yom HaZikaron like no other… God-willing

Yom HaZikaron is different this year. Our troops are still falling and getting wounded. The sense of loss and mourning is not theoretical.

Rabbi Amy Levin May 9, 2024 Holidays October 7th and Israel-Hamas War

Through My Children’s Eyes: Yom HaAtzmaut & Yom HaZikaron

Rabbi Rackover reflects on Yom HaZikkaron and Yom HaAtzmaut: For the first time, my daughter was afraid to share her Jewish identity. My heart broke.

Rabbi Mordechai Rackover May 9, 2024 Holidays October 7th and Israel-Hamas War

Yom Ha-Atzma’ut: Sow With Tears, Reap with Joy

Yom Ha-Atzma’ut in 2024, as in 1948, is a time of rejoicing and weeping. Just as then, today, too, we have much work ahead.

Rabbi Chaya Rowen Baker May 9, 2024 Holidays Torat HaShaah

A Seat For Those Who Can’t Come Home

This year, as we prepare the seder, we encourage an extra setting at your table—an empty chair for our family still in captivity in Gaza.

Rabbinical Assembly April 15, 2024 October 7th and Israel-Hamas War Passover

A Conservative Jew in Jerusalem

What is it like being a Conservative Jew in Jerusalem and how do we understand the holiness of the holiest place in the world?

Emily Jaeger December 26, 2023 Conservative Judaism Israel

Psalms for this Time of Crisis in Israel

Seven psalms as a liturgical response to our individual and collective emotions, including grief, fear, rage, desperation, and others.

Rabbinical Assembly October 19, 2023 Hebrew Bible Israel

Hearts Broken But We Will Keep Living

Amidst the heartbreak over the war in Gaza, appreciating our lives and feeling joy is an act of resistance and affirmation of life.

Rabbi Ashira Konigsburg October 18, 2023 Israel Living

Prayer for Israel

Rabbis Nicole Guzik and Erez Sherman offer a prayer for Israel. This was first offered at a vigil on October 8th, 2023.

Rabbi Nicole Guzik, Rabbi Erez Sherman October 13, 2023 Israel Living

Prayer for Kidnapped Israelis

A prayer for kidnapped Israelis by Hamas and are being held in Gaza.

Exploring Judaism October 13, 2023 Israel Living

Prayer for Simchat Torah War

Prayer for Simchat Torah War by The Rabbinical Assembly of Israel and Masorti Israel.

Rabbinical Assembly of Israel, Masorti Israel October 13, 2023 Israel Living

Prayer for the Welfare and Return of Israel’s Captured and Missing

Prayer for the Welfare and Return of Israel's Captured and Missing by the Rabbinical Assembly of Israel and Masorti Israel

Rabbinical Assembly of Israel, Masorti Israel October 13, 2023 Israel Living

Talking to Kids About Israel (October 2023)

Rabbi Rebecca Rosenthal offers some wisdom on how to talk to children of all ages about what is happening in Israel in an appropriate way.

Rabbi Rebecca Rosenthal October 13, 2023 Children Israel

Violence in Israel: Self-Care and Mental Health

The bombing at Hebrew University was a transition moment in my life. I got by for about a month and then started to break down. ...

Rabbi Mordechai Rackover October 9, 2023 Interpersonal Interactions Israel

Exploring Judaism and the Crisis in Israel

October 9th, 2023 In the two years since we launched, Exploring Judaism has significantly impacted the Conservative/Masorti presence on the internet. We have worked to ...

Rabbi Mordechai Rackover October 9, 2023 Exploring Judaism Blog Israel

Encountering the Shema: 7 Questions

Rabbi Mordecai Miller reflects on the Shema with 7 questions: Throughout my life, I’ve tried to understand what this sentence really means.

Rabbi Mordecai Miller January 25, 2023 Every Day Liturgy

Hanukkah: History and Context

What is Hanukkah's historical context? What does it actually commemorate? Who was Judah and the Maccabees?

Rabbi Alan Lucas, The Observant Life (Book) November 30, 2022 Hanukkah Holidays

Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikkaron, Yom Haatzma’ut, and Yom Yerushalayim

What are the commemorative holidays of Yom HaShoah, Yom haZikkaron, Yom Haatzma'ut, and Yom Yerushalayim and what do we do on them?

The Observant Life (Book) April 25, 2022 Holidays Yom Haatzma'ut