Earlier this week I sat down with one of our beloved Israel educators, Yishay Shavit. Yishay used some of his time during the pandemic – and shut-down of Israel’s tourist industry – to co-edit a fascinating collection of pieces by his guide colleagues, titled Heartbeats: The Insider’s Guide to Israel. We had a great conversation about the publishing process, the stories in the book, and about some of … Continue reading Telling the True Story of a Place
Dear Friends, Earlier this week I had the privilege to sit down with Congressman Jake Auchincloss for a wide-ranging and thought-provoking conversation. We talked about Build Back Better, human services and infrastructure; rising antisemitism and the security needs of our institutions; the U.S. role in building on the success of the Abraham Accords, his efforts to strengthen economic and research partnerships between Israel and the … Continue reading My Conversation with Rep. Auchincloss
Malden Mayor Gary Christiansen, Izzy Arbeiter z”l, Former Consul General of Germany to New England Dr. Ralf Horlemann, Malden High School Students Our community lost a giant last week. Izzy Arbeiter z”l, 96, was the survivor of several concentration camps, including Auschwitz. Attending his funeral and shiva this week has been a blessing in itself; to witness the outpouring of memories, to retell the impact … Continue reading Remembering Izzy Arbeiter
It’s been a while since I’ve shared what I’m reading. I’m still on pace for my annual goal of 100 books each year. These are the books that are bringing me pleasure as a reader and challenging me in my perceptions, right now, and I’m excited to share them with you. People Love Dead Jews, by Dara Horn Dara Horn writes amazing novels, deeply rooted … Continue reading What’s on my nightstand
Our work includes priorities that we work on for months and even years at a time. We don’t let go of these concerns and we never lose our focus on them, even as we work on several things at any one time. Then there are days when something in the news reminds us why we cannot and do not lose our focus. And sometimes, there … Continue reading When “Holocaust” was trending on social media this week
Earlier this week I was doing my morning meditation, following a prompt to reflect on the reality that when someone causes harm to someone else, more likely than not, the person causing the harm moves on quickly. Meanwhile the person who was harmed continues to carry it, in the form of anger. That anger prevents us from being able to be curious about why the … Continue reading Holding Complex Relationships
Click here to watch the opening montage of JCRC Celebrates! Dear Friends, Ten years ago this very morning, I entered (what is now) the Kraft Family Building for the very first time as the new director of JCRC. On that first morning, when I turned the corner onto High Street, waiting for me outside the building was our board chair, Bill Gabovitch, who ceremoniously held … Continue reading Reflecting on my decade at JCRC
The twentieth anniversary of 9/11 is a time to commemorate, as people will in places around the Commonwealth tomorrow. Over these two decades, more often than not – at least for me – the conversation this time of year has been one of sharing experience. Where were you? When did we know? Did you lose anyone? And so on. But twenty years clarifies that as … Continue reading Remembering 9/11
A message from Deputy Director Nahma Nadich: Though each season in New England has its unique pleasures (Colorful leaves! Snowshoeing! Flowers in bloom!) I must admit to loving summer most of all. Yes, I’m an unapologetic beach bum, but I also just appreciate the generally slower pace, the opportunity to get away, to read more novels and to socialize. Summer 2021 was one that began … Continue reading Standing in the valley
This was a week that challenged our capacity to absorb the horrors of the world. Like so many of you, I wanted to avert my eyes watching some of the videos coming out of Kabul. While we may have a diversity of strongly held views regarding the 20 years of U.S. presence in Afghanistan, I am reminded, once again, how deeply and broadly our Jewish community’s commitment is to those seeking refuge and asylum in our … Continue reading Our community’s commitment to those seeking refuge