com.Unity: From the Desk of Mark L. Goldstein

Sometimes Repetition is Necessary

There are times that this column will repeat themes.  It’s unavoidable. There are themes that come up regularly and are worth repeating:  the value of Jewish summer camping, Israel advocacy, the importance of Jewish education and Jewish day school education, the needs of our Annual Campa…

Describing the Elephant Is Not the Challenge

You may know the story of the six blindfolded men who are asked to touch different parts of an elephant. The one who touches the leg declares it a pillar; the one who touches the tail calls it a rope, the one who touches the trunk thinks it’s a snake and so on. 

For most people, the part…

Unlike Mordechai

Hope and the ability to see a better future and create it have been the underlying strength of Judaism for centuries. Hatikvah, “The Hope,” is the title of Israel’s national anthem. It references thousands of years of Jewish history and a contemporary list of wars and hatred that are t…

Addressing Anti-Semitism and Combatting Apathy

This has been a most sobering month.

In early February in Denmark, one person was killed at an event celebrating free speech and three police officers were wounded. Danish police believe that the target may have been Lars Vilks, an artist who has received death threats for drawing images of…

An Israeli Election in Which You Can (and Should) Vote

On March 17, 2015, the Israeli electorate will go to the polls to vote for its next Knesset.  Assuming no party has a governing majority of the Knesset – a fair assumption since it has never happened in Israel’s history – the Israeli president will empower a party to form a coalition …