Living in Israel
The approach of Lag BaOmer, which begins tonight at sundown, always takes me back to 1998 when our family spent a sabbatical semester in Israel. We were firmly integrated into Reform Jewish life in Madison, WI. Our children attended religious school – our oldest son had recently become bar mitzvah – at Temple Beth El and were regular summer campers at URJ Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute (OSRUI) in Oconomowoc, WI. We were excited to give our children the experience of living in Israel, albeit only for a few months, and were hopeful they would learn Hebrew, make Israeli friends,... Read More
“Mi rotzeh la’asot Kiddush (Who wants to make Kiddush)?” Even after two months of Basic Training as a volunteer in the Israel Defense Forces, I still tried to shrink behind someone else whenever the Mempay (Company Commander) asked us a question. Basic Training was not an environment in which volunteering for anything beyond showing up was advisable. Six days of every week were packed with stressful discipline, demoralizing surprises, and chaotic uncertainty, and even with the support of my fellow volunteers, Hebrew comprehension and homesickness were a daily struggle. But this evening... Read More
On my most recent visit to Israel – in preparation for this summer’s URJ Sci-Tech Israel program – I noticed the presence of U.S. companies. Throughout Israel’s “Silicon Wadi,” the counterpart to our Silicon Valley, are research and development facilities for Google, Microsoft, Apple, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and others, intermixed with a vast array of Israeli start-ups, including Mobile-Eye, Orcam, StoreDot, and others. The foundations for many of these research collaborations were establish during Israel’s third decade from the late 1960s to the late 1970s. Motorola, the first U.S.... Read More
In a world that is increasingly more global and interconnected, the value and importance of a global progressive Jewish movement is more important than ever. The World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) is the international umbrella organization for Reform, progressive, liberal, and Reconstructionist communities around the world, spanning 50 countries, and representing nearly two million individuals. Our mission is to ensure that wherever Jews choose to live, there should be a vibrant and meaningful non-orthodox option. As our world changes, Jews move. Sometimes this is for reasons such... Read More
In the beginning of 1948, in preparation for the announcement on the establishment of the State of Israel, one of the questions the Zionist movement leadership dealt with had to do with what song would be chosen as the national anthem. One of the suggestions that was brought up was Psalm 126, which speaks about the return of the Jewish people to their homeland, and in so doing, emphasizes the connection of the young state to the Tanach, the Jewish people’s ancient history and to Jewish tradition. This Psalm, which opens the Birkat HaMazon prayer on Shabbat and holidays, begins with these... Read More
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