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The second paragraph of our Declaration of Independence begins: “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain … more

Rabbi James Rosenberg | 9/6/24

Is peace possible?

My colleague, Rabbi Ronald Kronish, made aliyah to Jerusalem in 1979 and has been there with his family ever since. In 1991 Kronish founded the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel (ICCI), … more

Rabbi James Rosenberg | 8/2/24

God and man: Partners?

Does God need us? Does God need you? Does God need me? At first glance, these questions seem absurd … if not blasphemous. If God is God – that is to say, if God … more

Rabbi James Rosenberg | 7/5/24

Wrestling with God in troubled times

These are hard times for any of us who are struggling to develop or to continue our relationship with God. To echo the words of the Irish poet William Butler Yeats: “Things fall apart; the … more

Rabbi James Rosenberg | 6/7/24

Processing the pain of Gaza redux

From where I was seated on the bimah in the sanctuary of a Rhode Island synagogue a few months ago, there appeared to be at least 200 individuals sitting in the pews. We had gathered together … more

Rabbi James Rosenberg | 5/10/24

The ironies of ‘colorblind’ America

Reading and rereading the cover story in the March 17 issue of the New York Times Magazine has made me angry and made me sad. Nikole Hannah-Jones, a winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize and creator … more

Rabbi James Rosenberg | 4/5/24

How to be Jewish in the diaspora

I set foot in Israel for the first time in June 1965. Having just turned 21 and looking forward to my senior year at Columbia come September, I was to spend most of my summer volunteering at … more

Rabbi James Rosenberg | 3/1/24

The trauma of COVID gives way to new worries

On Sunday, April 5, 2020, I made my first entry into what I have come to call my “Covid diary.” Four days later , on Thursday, April 9, I found myself writing about “social … more

Rabbi James Rosenberg | 2/2/24

A psalm that makes us squirm

This column originally ran on Nov. 21, 2014, and is relevant today. Psalm 137 – at least its first six verses – is one of the best known and best loved of our 150 psalms: By the … more

Rabbi James Rosenberg | 1/7/24

Revenge is dangerous

It was almost sundown on Friday, March 7, 1986, when David Blumenfeld, a middle-aged New York rabbi, happened to be walking down David Street in the Old City of Jerusalem, returning home after a … more

Rabbi James Rosenberg | 12/3/23