Over the past five years and especially since October 7th, antisemitic acts have been on a sudden and jarring rise, and Kesher Israel has been no exception.  The number of incidents at Shul, whether people driving by and yelling “Heil Hitler,” or nearby graffiti about the situation in Israel, has risen in recent months.  This…

In 1865, almost 100 Hungarian Rabbis, (in reaction to Reform and Enlightenment movements), signed a pisak din, a halachic decision, to forbid the following in Orthodox Shuls, and additionally decreed that anyone who finds themselves in such a shul should leave immediately: The derasha given in a “secular”  language other than Yiddish or Hebrew, a…

This past week Jews and Christians were attacked in the midst of religious celebration and prayer.   What prompts such attacks on religion?   Though on a conscious level this hate seems to be about prejudice itself, and for Jews it seems to come from many sides of the political spectrum,  I believe that it…

We have just finished reading the story of Joseph and his brothers.  In it Joseph’s brothers experience confusion, despondency, and powerlessness as their brother secretively manipulates them, falsely accusing them of being spies and thieves.  One can imagine being in their shoes and asking: Why?  Why are all these terrible things happening?  Ultimately their worst…

This week’s parsha, Vayigash , is the culmination of several chapters documenting the intriguing story of Joseph and his brothers. Imagine yourself in the shoes of the brothers – the perplexity and horror at finding their money in their sacks, the viceroy’s cup in Benjamin’s sack – framed for a crime. Having to bring their…

Orthodox Judaism, in its desire to create distance from liberal denominations, at times does itself a disservice.    This phenomenon is well known.  For instance our sometimes hyper focus on the letter of the law in a way that dismisses its deeper meaning I think is often in response to liberal denominations which stress the…