Several years ago, after giving a class about David Ben Gurion and Chaim Weitzman, I was approached by a few people in the community. The individuals who approached me were highly accomplished and educated. They were highly successful professionals, yet during the class they realized something was missing. Despite many years of Jewish education, they felt woefully lacking in their understanding of modern Jewish History, of the seminal events and dates that have shaped the

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American spends nearly six hours a day in leisure, almost half of which is spent watching television. By the end of the week, this adds up to nearly twenty hours, half of a full-time job, just sitting in front of a screen. Pew Research adds that even working parents spend about twelve hours a week watching TV, while those without children average closer to seventeen. Yes, we work very hard during the day and we com

Ed Jackson, a former British Rugby player, not only has an impressive professional resume, but has climbed some of the world’s highest mountains. Over the past few years, he has climbed Mount Snowdon, the highest peak in England and Wales, he’s conquered the Matterhorn, one of the most iconic and challenging mountains in the Alps, and has scaled the most extreme mountains in the world, from Pakistan, Switzerland to Nepal. For anyone else, these grueling climbs would be in

We all know that feeling. The email you’re afraid to open, the message you haven’t responded to, the conversation you keep replaying in your head, unsure how it will go. That quiet sense of unease is more than just a passing moment, it reflects something deeper about how much we crave stability. In fact, a study published this week found something striking: the average respondent earning about $79,000 a year said they would willingly give up nearly $57,000 of that income jus

When Rabbi Jonathan Sacks zt”l recommended a book as “an astonishingly inspiring book” and “one of the most inspirations books I have ever read,” it’s hard not to take notice. A few years ago, I listened to a podcast where Rabbi Sacks zt”l was interviewed by popular media host Tim Ferriss. Tim asked Rabbi Sacks to explain why “The Choice” by Edith Eger was so meaningful to him and is the book that he gifted more than any other. Rabbi Sacks went on to describe with great

Whether celebratory or tragic, we all have our own list of “where were you when” moments, times when we remember with perfect clarity where we were and what we were doing as truly landmark events unfolded around us. Growing up, my mother would often tell us where she was and what she was doing when she heard that President John F. Kennedy had been shot. The milkman had just made his delivery when the news broke. He sat together with my grandmother at her kitchen table, and

Running the Miami Half Marathon this past January as part of Chai Lifeline’s Team Lifeline was a uniquely special experience. Most races are about personal goals, finishing, improving a time, or setting a new personal record. But, this race was different. Every runner on Team Lifeline was running for something far bigger than ourselves. We were running to support and give strength to children and families facing challenges no one should have to face alone. And somewhere ar

I have the most beautiful memories of Pesach from my childhood. The smell of my Bubby’s kitchen. The beautifully set Seder table. The quiet maneuvering among cousins to see who would sit next to whom. Some of my most cherished childhood memories are from Pesach. Each year we would go to my Bubby and Zaide’s house. I remember the excitement and anticipation as the holiday approached. All of my cousins, aunts, and uncles would gather together. Without exaggeration, those were

This week, after years of mystery and speculation, the identity of the street artist known as Banksy was finally revealed. Identified as Robin Gunningham, a man in his early 50s from Bristol, England, he is an unlikely success story. Known for some high-profile art stunts, including partially shredding his best known work “Girl with Balloon” during an auction in 2018, Banksy’s works are some of the most expensive to come out of England this century. (“Girl with Balloon” sold