The Truth Behind the Optimism
This week, I had the privilege of attending the JEIC conference in Atlanta. It is one of the most inspiring gatherings in Jewish education. The work being done in day schools is critical to the future of our people. The vision of the Mayberg Foundation, now partnered with the Aronov Foundation, continues to shape that future in profound ways.
Our Greatest Threat Is Not What You Think
For eleven years, I have made it a priority to be in Israel for Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut. Those two days, side by side, capture something essential about the Jewish story. They remind us who we are, where we have come from, and what it has cost us to stand here today.
Never Again Means Now
This week, as I send greetings from Jerusalem, I found myself thinking deeply about Yom HaShoah, Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day. As the siren sounded across the country and an entire nation stood still, a powerful and painful thought echoed.
Now We Have to Be the Story
Over Pesach, I had the privilege of speaking with so many people, and I kept hearing the same thing. The story no longer feels distant. It no longer feels like something that happened thousands of years ago. It feels immediate. It feels personal.
Tonight We Remember Who We Are
The message of Pesach is not theoretical. It is the story of a people who stood up to tyranny, who faced Pharaoh, a ruler willing to murder Jewish children, and who walked out of Egypt and out of slavery into freedom with God guiding them.
The Ending Is Already Written
Missiles over Israel. Rising antisemitism across the world. A constant awareness that there are those who seek our destruction. The current confrontation with Iran feels like a moment where everything is coming together, a culmination of forces that have been building for decades.
Between Purim and Passover… Something Is Happening to Our People
Three weeks into this current escalation, Jewish hearts are pulled in many directions. Fear, strength, exhaustion, pride, unity, and longing all exist together. Yet in the midst of everything, something extraordinary continues to reveal itself.
The Jewish people are coming together.
The Room in Jerusalem Was On Fire
Earlier in the week, we ran our annual campaign called “All In for Aish.” For the past several years, this campaign has been built around a matching challenge. This year we had a three-to-one match. Our goal was to raise six million dollars.
This Is Not a Time to Bow
I was on my way to Israel this past Sunday, and throughout Shabbos, I was with many dear friends of Aish. One after another, they asked me whether I was planning to fly the next day. My answer was consistent. Absolutely, barring issues from snow or war. That statement alone captures the moment in which we are living.
Our Next Test Is Each Other
This week also included a meaningful and important meeting that connects directly to these themes of unity, relationship, and standing proudly for Israel. Rabbi Meyer May, our Executive Vice President, and I had lunch with the Falic family, together with former Vice President Mike Pence.
