Earlier this week we moved back into our synagogue after a full calendar year of being unable to gather for services in our beautiful building. Truthfully, it is hard to believe that it’s been a whole year, but it has. Immediately after Purim last year the penny dropped, and we realized that a deadly virus … Continue reading “GETTING UP AND BEYOND”
“My late brother Benzi died in a car accident in 2008. Although he is principally remembered for his superlative philanthropy – and to be fair, his philanthropy was exceptional – my own recollections of him revolve around his incredible sensitivity and compassion.” Rabbi Dunner recalls his brother Benzi z”l, and his legacy that chimes with … Continue reading “MY BROTHER BENZI, AND HOW TO BE KIND (PODCAST)”
My late brother Benzi died in a car accident in 2008. Although he is principally remembered for his superlative philanthropy – and to be fair, his philanthropy was exceptional – my own recollections of him revolve around his incredible sensitivity and compassion. Truthfully, his phenomenal generosity – which amounted to many millions of dollars given … Continue reading “MY BROTHER BENZI, AND HOW TO BE KIND”
One of the Jewish calendar’s most unusual days is Purim, a day of celebration and feasting marked by the type of revelry that is studiously avoided on any other day of the year. This rather curious phenomenon has its roots in the original story of liberation and redemption featured in the Megilla, as Rabbi Dunner … Continue reading “A DAY LIKE NO OTHER (VIDEO)”
One of the Jewish calendar’s most unusual days is Purim, a day of celebration and feasting marked by the type of revelry that is studiously avoided on any other day of the year. This rather curious phenomenon has its roots in the original story of liberation and redemption featured in the Megilla, as Rabbi Dunner … Continue reading “A DAY LIKE NO OTHER”
Inspired by the recent campaign among American Haredim to join the World Zionist Organization (WZO), Rabbi Dunner offers a summary of the history of Haredi ant-Zionism, and the evolution of attitudes that has resulted in this latest phenomenon, a stunning development that echoes in an important but often overlooked aspect of the Purim story.
Over the past few weeks, I have noted a major shift in the Jewish world, a shift that relates to the Haredi (ultra-orthodox) community in America and the startling decision by their most respected leaders to put up a slate for election to the World Zionist Organization (WZO). But before I delve into this astonishing … Continue reading “DON’T SET YOURSELF APART”
Rabbi Dunner addresses the strange annual custom of remembering and never forgetting Amalek, a long-extinct warrior-nation who attacked the Israelites after they left Egypt. God demands their obliteration, but ironically they would have long been gone and forgotten if we were not expected to mention them each year at Parshat Zachor. Using the fact that … Continue reading “JUST REMEMBER, IT’S PERSONAL (PODCAST)”
