


Other Promised Lands
John Doar was not the Justice Department’s first choice for his position. Yet, his appointment as the number 2 man in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice lasted seven years. After the election in 1960, Doar was a hold over…

Retirement (R)age
Recent protests in France rattled that nation. Prime Minister Macron proposed raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. Oh mon Dieu! Despite this attempt to address a looming economic crisis for the French economy, labor unions organized massive…

Pitching the Jewish Tent
I’m still traumatized by the first, and only time, I went camping. We had to shlep heavy tenting materials, bars, posts, and connective joints, up a sandy hillside. With a combination of teamwork and desperation, we pitched our tent! But then…

Anti Loneliness
Surgeon General Vivek Murtha recently issued an advisory on the public health crisis of loneliness. Even before the Covid pandemic, Americans reported enduring periods of profound loneliness. Murtha’s report calls for a renewed effort toward…

Slavery and Torah
After visiting civil rights memorials in Alabama, I’ve been reading about the history of slavery. The facts are shocking. The arguments made and justification for slavery are appalling. Some of them come straight out of the Bible.As I…

My Heroes
My American history teacher asked our high school class to offer the name of a hero. I recall my answer vividly and I’ll share that with you at the end. Thinking about the need for Jewish heroes, I worry about the lack of inspiring leaders…

The Archeology of You
Think of an archeologist with a sieve in hand. She sorts through piles of debris and detritus. Through the sieve falls the dirt. Treasures hidden in the earth are captured in the mesh. And that sieve is a metaphor for Judaism!Schmutz fills…

Lepers, Jews and Prostitutes
Lepers, Jews, and prostitutes had a lot in common in Medieval Europe. They were all reviled. All were forced to wear distinctive clothing. Imagine the plight of a leprous Jewish prostitute! Some things change with time. Today, leprosy is curable…

A Fiery Fate
Aaron’s eldest sons, Nadav and Abihu, met a fiery fate. As with reports of many deaths, the event shocks us. How could the two oldest sons of the High Priest be consumed so suddenly? The answer might have some importance to us in a time of…