Israel

20 Hostages Were Released on October 13- But there is still pain

On October 12th I told a friend that I was cautiously ecstatic waiting and praying to the release of our last living hostages.  The next day, October 13, THEY WERE RELEASED! But I was not ecstatic, I was numb. It has taken me days of reading about the hostages, watching videos of family reunions, and…

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Posted in Israel
Published on October 17th, 2025

Warning: Difficult topics ahead. 

Right now the sun is out and I can hear birds singing. I’ve been thinking about what to say to you for a couple weeks. Shortly after Oct. 7th a friend gave me a bracelet with the name and age of one of the hostages – Itzhak Elgarat. I looked him up online. He had no…

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A Rabbi Encourages Her Congregation

(Photo: Entryway to Beth Sholom) Rabbi Amanda Russell of Congregation Beth Sholom in San Francisco wrote an email to her congregants. She acknowledged their fears. Then she offered a small simple teaching that all of us can do. Look for her suggestion of how to help at the end of her letter. (Thank you Rabbi…

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Israel in a time of War

“In the midst of our personal and collective grief, we are united in spirit and purpose.” My friends, I am struggling with what I can say to you. This is a terrible time. Israel is at war and has been invaded. Videos show the horror of kidnappings and killings. Each of us has our own…

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All Jews are One Family

(Mt. Meron by Lior Golgher • ליאור גולגר – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2277766) Last night there was a tragedy in Israel, people were killed in a terrible accident in the midst of their celebration of Lag B’omer. Rabbi Larry Milder sent this message to his congregation. I want to point out to you…

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