Rabbi Howard Goldsmith is the spiritual leader of Congregation Emanu-El of Westchester, a Reform synagogue in Harrison.
Howard Goldsmith
By Howard Goldsmith
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Community Dear Israel: I’m A Reform Rabbi, And I’m Not Going Anywhere.
Given recent events in Israel, I have to admit that I’m a bit nervous about the reception I’ll get in Israel as a Reform rabbi. I had hoped to have the flight to reflect and relax and get my head around the conversion bill and the Kotel decision. You see, I always look forward to…
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Community The Jewish Case Against Donald Trump’s Paris Climate Decision
Dear President Trump, As the Jewish festival of Shavuot came to a close, you announced the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. While you have spoken of your intention to withdraw since you entered the campaign for president, the timing of your announcement highlights how the decision is at odds with the values that…
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Community What I Learned Baking Challah For My Children’s Heritage Dinner
The news from Washington gets stranger and more disturbing each day. The pundits scream from our television screens. Columnists issue dire warnings in newspapers. Our Facebook feeds glow with loud echos of our own views. Whether we occupy the left or the right, unsettled feelings swirl ever more rapidly all around us. Staying upright on…
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Community What I’ve Learned From Our Adopted Family Of Refugees
I actually felt embarrassed as we headed toward the museum exit. It was my first afternoon with the Kurdish family my congregation is helping to resettle in Westchester. I brought them to the Neuberger museum at SUNY Purchase to show off a great cultural institution and college campus in Westchester County. A campus construction project…
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Community The Selfishness Of Silence
On December 10, 1986, Eli Wiesel accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. His acceptance speech exemplifies so much of his character, his grace, his fearlessness, his greatness. As the speech called to the people of that day, it can call us, too, if only we listen. He begins: “Words of gratitude. First to…
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Community In A Post-Fact Age, Where Should We Look For Truth?
“Climate change is real. Science is real. Facts are real. Just believing hard enough does not turn an article of faith into reality.” The radio display on the dashboard said 100.3 FM but that could not possibly be correct. The guest continued telling the morning program hosts, “We could solve the real problem of climate…
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Community An Incredible Egg And The Meaning Of Life
We balanced an egg on our counter top this morning. It’s an equinox ritual at the Goldsmith home. Vernal and Autumnal, we take out a raw egg and, after a bit of futzing and few false starts, we get it standing on its end and the kids smile for this semi-annual Facebook post. I don’t…
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Community What Judaism Can Teach Us About Getting Older — And Potty Humor
I never quite feel like I’m the right age. My congregants consistently tell me that I’m too young to be a rabbi. When I watched the standup comedian Robert Klein began one of his sets with a song about colonoscopies (below), I also felt be a bit out of place. When the rest of the…
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