Rabbi Dr. Stuart Halpern is Senior Adviser to the Provost of Yeshiva University and Deputy Director of Y.U.’s Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought. His books include the newly released "Jewish Roots of American Liberty," "The Promise of Liberty: A Passover Haggada," "Esther in America," "Gleanings: Reflections on Ruth" and "Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land: The Hebrew Bible in the United States."
As the State of Israel recovers from two years of war, a biblical book about some restorative heroes of old (sorry, Maccabees, not you guys) might well serve as a surprisingly timely guide.
Eighty-one years ago, while America was at war and millions of Jews were being slaughtered, the rabbi of the Washington Hebrew Congregation delivered a Hanukkah message that resonates to this day.
As Silk’s memoir, “A Seat at the Table: An Inside Account of Trump’s Global Economic Revolution,” captivatingly details, his unique story is a testament to the power of faith and the promise of America.
On Thursday, Nov. 26, 1789, Seixas delivered a clarion call with the audience of not only his congregation but all of America’s roughly 1,500 Jews in mind.
One hundred and twenty years ago this month, a celebration was held at New York’s Carnegie Hall on Thanksgiving Day, celebrating 250 years of Jewish presence in the United States.
Though Lincoln himself was not Jewish, his words of support drawn from the faith of history’s first Jew continue to serve as a chord of comfort in the American consciousness.
If American education is to persevere in the current moment, it will be because it rededicates itself to the human and honorable path of true learning – balancing neighborly love with reverence for the divine.
Whether or not Whitecaps alum Will Smith and the Dodgers emerge victorious once more, all Americans have reason to cheer for William Brewster – a fascinating figure whose biblically-infused impact on America continues to inspire.
American leaders have long had an affinity for that first of the Five Books of Moses.
Genesis’ second chapter devotes five verses to a river that emerges from humanity’s birthplace.