Passover

On a night when we are meant to be animated by the ethos of “let all who are hungry come and eat,” Passover retreats produce Seders sans guests.

After the forced expulsions from Spain and Portugal, Sephardi-Portuguese established communities in the Caribbean, which controled trade routes and established strategic outposts.

During these days when we are experiencing an attack against diversity, the mixed multitude gathered around my seder table felt all the more significant and celebratory.

The suspect, Cody Balmer, called 911 operators on Sunday following the attack, saying he needed "to stop having my friends killed".

In the silence of those who do not yet know how to ask, in the melodies of our ancestors, and in the courage it takes to carry memory forward.

Our tradition teaches us to hold two truths at once. We must cry over suffering and celebrate over deliverance. 

In his letter, Kariv emphasized that the attack represented not just a threat to Shapiro personally but "an assault on the values of freedom, tolerance, and religious faith."

Make no mistake: It’s not our job as Jews, currently the most maligned and imperiled minority group in America, to advocate on behalf of Mahmoud Khalil nor of any terror-aligned jihadi.

The visit marked exactly one year after Eliya’s mother, Sigi Cohen, prayed at the Western Wall for her son's safe return.

To make space for a truth that isn’t ours. And to carry it with the same weight we ask for our own.