Righteousness and Privilege on Noah’s Ark and Today | Parashat Noach
This week in the cycle of Torah stories, we meet the infamous character of Noah. You know, the one with the ark. The Torah tells us that Noah was “righteous in his generation” and presumably that’s why God chooses him…
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Winter Clothing Drive for Midnight Run
Midnight Run is almost here! Now through November 2: Donate your unwanted winter coats and other warm clothing! Travel and sample sized toiletries are needed as well! Teens from JCP, together with Park Avenue Synagogue, will be building community with…
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Do Your Homework | A Dvar Torah for Parashat Breishit (Genesis 1:1-6:8)
There is an artful maneuver at the opening of this week’s Torah portion — “In the beginning” — that for generations of readers has served not only as an inspiration but a way into dimensions of the universe’s origins that…
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An Unforgettable Journey
I am back from an unforgettable trip to Belarus and Lithuania, where last week I bore witness to some of the most unspeakable crimes committed against Jews during the Second World War and also witnessed some of the most profoundly…
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Bearing Witness in Belarus
My grandmother, like Jewish grandmothers everywhere, was known for her kugle, which she called “sour” because it didn’t have cinnamon or sugar (God forbid). She made her own blintzes, too, which were sweet, as they should be. Her recipes were…
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What makes a community?
First there is “what we do.” Is it the phone call and fresh meal to share with a family just home with a new baby? Is it a word of encouragement during the stress leading up to a Bar Mitzvah?…
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Masterpieces of Justice and Peace
At the end of last week’s parashah, Balak, there is a terrible and violent incident, where some of the children of Israel get caught up in a frenzied orgy of idol worship with Moabite tribes. Pinchas, who was an Israelite…
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An Ideal Not Yet Whole
I love the Fourth of July. Always have and always will. Growing up in Wisconsin, it had a kind of wholesome innocence attached to its annual occurrence. The flags are out; patriotic bunting adorns homes; there are parades led by…
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The Language of Tears
Alicia Stoller, director of JCP's Early Childhood Center, explores what the crisis over immigration means in the context of a child's development.
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Belonging and Building Community
Did you know that between 1880 and 1920 more than 3 million Jews immigrated to the United States from lands across Central and Eastern Europe? It’s a staggering number when you think about it. From the Lower East Side and…
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