Hillel and Shamai, the exemplars of rabbinic and Jewish pluralism, have a dark secret that is seldom found on the many source sheets featuring these archetypal rivals. While most teachers focus on the many stories highlighting the high level of respect and civility between these two men and their respective study houses, we can find…
Three monuments—the statue of Saint Louis in Missouri, the Judah P. Benjamin monument in North Carolina, and buildings named for Woodrow Wilson at Princeton—allow us to understand how Jews should think about their place within the American racial order and how antiracists should think about Jews within the struggle to disrupt the legacies of racism….
Why would anyone Zoom-bomb my online meditation class with racist slurs, genitalia references and anti-Semitic links? I had been looking forward to teaching Mindfulness Meditation for Changing Times for Silver Spring Town Center, my first foray into teaching online. After covering the mechanics of how to meditate, I led a visualization to relax the body…
As a non-Jewish, Black multi-ethnic therapist, writing this piece was an eye-opening experience in understanding the parallels between the diasporas of the Black and Jewish communities. I’ve had more conversations with friends and colleagues about anti-Semitism and racism, which has built stronger empathy and a sense of action toward uniting in our work towards a…
In examining history, one of the great challenges is compartmentalizing the ideas and actions of the inspiring, yet decidedly imperfect. We just marked the 244th anniversary of America’s founding, and remembered the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. There is no questioning these founding documents as seminal writings on the virtues of equality….
As two white, Ashkenazi Jewish teenagers, it could be easy for us to turn a blind eye to systemic racism. Our privilege has shielded us from ever having to fear the police, being left out of school curricula or feeling alienated in our daily lives. The easy route would be to look away and pretend…
On Saturday, Meghan Markle spoke for 40 minutes with Althea Bernstein, the Black and Jewish victim of an alleged hate crime in Madison, Wisconsin. Michael Johnson, president and CEO of a local Boys and Girls Club chapter, who is acting as Berstein’s spokesman, said that after hearing about the hate crime, Markle contacted him about…
There is a particular irony when I hear those in the mainstream Jewish community touting the specious “All Lives Matter” slogan. No, this isn’t just about a betrayal of our ethical tradition demanding that we uplift the oppressed. Rather it is an irony that cuts so deep that this slogan actually undermines a belief shared…
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