Aliyah

Another in my series of "why I love living in Israel."  In the last four days I have: Participated in an interfaith conference in the West Bank and discussed Moses with a Palestinian geologist.  A rabbi who volunteers with the Border Police was another participant, along with a former Israeli ambassador to an African country....
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I realized the other day that I have not created any blog entries about my "other job."  All my blogs have been about my rabbinic work, which these days is all done for free (even when I get an honorarium I donate it to charity), about making aliyah, comments on Israel, the weekly Torah...
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I feel like I’ve achieved the final milestone in Israeli citizenship — I have a "real" Israeli passport. I’m not sure why, but when you first make aliyah the government will only issue you a "teudat ma’avar" or "travel document in lieu of passport."  You have to use it when you enter or leave...
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Last week I spoke at Congregation Beth Jacob in the San Francisco Bay Area, a place that played a huge role in my spiritual journey from totally secular to observant lay person to rabbi.  I was in the US for about ten days on a trip that combined work, rabbinic work, and visiting family...
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Note: This week’s post first appeared at www.israelatsixty.org.il Every year we close our seder with the words “L’shana haba’ah birushalayim,” “next year in Jerusalem.”  Unlike the requirement to mention the Passover offering, maror, and matzah this phrase is not found in the Mishnah or even in the Talmud. But the roots of the saying are...
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I was recently interviewed on a radio program on Arutz-7, Go’el Jasper’s "Aliyah Revolution." I have to admit, when I was first contacted about the interview, I was a little skeptical — Arutz-7 is a notoriously right-wing outlet, and, frankly, I was wondering about what kind of treatment a Rabbis for Human Rights –...
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