A Moment in Time: “The Long and Windy Road”

Dear all,

I did it – 36 miles to raise funds to help send kids to Jewish Summer Camps in Southern California. Thank you all who sponsored my ride! Now, more than ever, our kids need to have access to meaningful Jewish experiences that uphold our support for Israel in these very difficult times.

I want to say that the ride was glorious.

It was not. Why? One word with two pronunciations. You choose whichever you want.

“Windy.”

There were moments of the ride that were super windy. At times it was both windy and windy.

And it exhausted me.

As always, I find metaphors.

Our Jewish journey is rarely an easy one. The Israelites winded their way through the desert for 40 years. Jonah faced a fierce wind on his voyage from Jaffa.

And today – we continue to battle twisted narratives of history, blowhards who learn about the Middle East from Tik Tok videos, and academics who create false truths when teaching the next generation.

And with all this – we continue to travel the windy road. And while it can be exhausting, we will never, for even a moment in time, think of quitting.

With love and Shalom,

Rabbi Zach Shapiro