Purim 5777

In less than 2 months, over 190 bomb threats have been called in to Jewish institutions in the United States. Anyone who thinks that anti-Semitism died with the Holocaust, could not be more mistaken. The hateful groups who cowardly hide behind anonymity did not invent anti-Semitism.  Not even Hitler, may his name be erased, invented…

Pesach 5776

My mother was the person whom I most admired, respected, and loved.  I wanted so much to be just like her – kind, warm, compassionate, caring about every single person she met, Jew or Gentile, who came to her for healing, as this was my mother’s profession.  She was a midwife and a healer, answering…

Purim

This week we will celebrate Purim, a holiday that the Rabbis tell us will continue to be celebrated even after the coming of Moshiach while other holidays will no longer be observed.  Why does Purim have this unique quality of permanence? There may be many reasons but there are a couple that quickly come to…

Shabbat Zachor

בס”ד ​This year (5776, 2016) the “Zachor” (Remember!) additional Torah reading occurs on Shabbat  of 18-19 March and provides the Shabbat with a special name, “Shabbat Zachor.” I am a child holocaust survivor who experienced terrible horrors at the tender age of 9 ½. I lost my entire family on the Death Marches to a…

Choose Life

Rosh Hashana, literally translated as “Head of the Year”, is also referred to as  the Day of Remembrance, when G-d conducts a yearly review of His creation. My mother’s commandment – “Live, Remember, Tell the World” – propelled me onward to survive.  There were endless opportunities for me to be killed or to just shrivel…