One hundred and fifty years ago this week, a battle was fought that was destined to define our nation for all time — not through the strategic military prowess of our troops, although that was a factor, nor through our overwhelming military might, but rather through a two minute speech that was to be given over four months later on that same battle site. more

The second of this week’s portions, Massei, begins by describing the many journeys of the Jewish people in the desert on their way to entering the land of Israel. Describing each stop along the way, the Torah delineates no less than 42 separate places the Jewish people passed through on their way to Israel. more

Burning conviction, faith in G-d, love of Torah and the will to live has driven Rabbi Chaim Aryeh Leib Schwartzblatt in all the years since he was forced by the Nazis from the ashes of his Polish town. Schwartzblatt’s story, like those of many survivors, is worthy of a movie script. His vivid recounting of his flight as a boy from the Nazis, the loss of his family, hiding in a forest, joining Russian partisans, and building a life in America — including painful loses here as well — is a lesson in faith and perseverance. more

This Thursday, July 4, Jewish families all over the United States will join the rest of the country and stare up in wonderment as the sky lights up in an explosion of colors during Independence Day firework displays. But fireworks, like many things in life, are transient and will inevitably dissipate. Yet for those fleeting moments in which they light up our world, they also shed light on that which is wrong with it. more

Shabbat June 29 Last installment of Rabbi David Fohrman’s talk on “Yetziat Mitzrayim through the Rear-View Mirror” in the Themes in Tanach series. Young Israel of Woodmere. One hour before mincha. more

The government programs that Edward Snowden revealed were wrong — Verizon Wiretapping and PRIZM — go against the founders’ intent and, I believe, if taken to the Supreme Court would be struck down. But the appropriateness of the surveillance on the general public, and the legal/moral issues of Snowden’s using the press to share them with the world are two completely separate issues. Snowden is not a hero whistleblower but a criminal leaker of secrets. more

Continued from last week. PART TWO As we attended to our business during the day, wee could not forget the vision of those two proud, majestically clad Jews. When we returned to the hotel that evening, we stopped into the dining room for tea. The two commanders were fervently praying at the same wall where they stood that morning. Their voices chanted the hauntingly tragic melody of Lamentations, recited on Tishah B’Av, mourning the destruction of both Holy Temples. more

The Irish and Jewish people share a common history of both suffering cruel persecution and achieving national redemption against immeasurable odds. But today, Ireland is one of Europe’s fiercest critics of Israel. The Irish government and prominent Irish NGOs frequently condemn Israel for its treatment of Palestinians, and they are pushing a boycott of the Jewish state. Countering this trend is a small, yet passionate, contingent of pro-Israel Irish groups seeking to create more positive relations between these similar nations. more

Late at night, somewhere in the sands of Iran, an elderly Rabbi is leading a group of Iranian Jews to freedom. He has made it his life’s mission to do so, risking his life and running huge costs. And it was his father’s experiences in the Holocaust that give him the strength to do this… more

If the story of Pinchas and Zimri played out in our world today, it would not be Pinchas who is universally heralded and Zimri who is thrown under the bus for being an arrogant and abrasive antagonist. The story is pretty simple. Zimri, a leader of the tribe of Shimon, consorts with a Midianite woman in public. According to the Talmud (Sanhedrin 82), he mocked Moshe — if a Midianite (Zipporah) was permissible to Moshe, why was a Midianite prohibited to Zimri? more