On the Rabbis Without Borders blog, a reflection on being paralyzed by fear and finding a way forward, with the help of friends, including one who encouraged me to compose and share this prayer: “God Desires My Freedom,” recited at the Lights for Liberty Vigil to End Human Detention Camps, Plaza Fiesta, Chamblee, GA – … Read more
On the Rabbis Without Borders blog, my personal story of accompanying an asylum seeker in immigration court: The email request arrives on Friday around 2:30 pm. The subject: “Accompaniment Urgently Needed for Asylum Court Case.” Volunteers are needed on June 6th. It’s been more than five months since I returned from Nogales, where I was … Read more
On the Rabbis Without Borders blog, a tribute to 3 rabbis who influenced me as a student and newly ordained rabbi and who continue to impact my teaching and my students today. Thanks to Micah B. and Micah R., rising juniors at The Weber School, who created the image and gave me permission to post … Read more
“What did you do during spring break?” I can hardly wait to get back to school Monday morning to ask, and answer, this question. Yesterday, I offered an invocation during the awards luncheon at the WICERS 2019 conference. It was the second-most meaningful meal, after our family Seder, of my Passover celebration. WICERS, an acronym for … Read more
On the Rabbis Without Borders blog, a reflection on praying at the Roswell Community Masjid (RCM) after the terrorist attack at the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand: “I arrive nearly an hour early for Jumuah (Friday afternoon communal prayers). I want to visit briefly with the Imam and other … Read more
On the Rabbis Without Borders blog, I continue my series of posts about my morning routine. This past week’s reflection is about prayer, specifically my singing of Psalms every morning: “I didn’t plan to return to the subject of poetry, or even that of prayer, in this blog post. But since waking up to the … Read more
My recent post on the Rabbis Without Borders blog is a personal reflection on the spiritual journey I took in the desert in Arivaca, Arizona: Shortly after sunrise on the second morning of our visit at KBI’s retreat house, Father Pete Neely arrives to take us to Arivaca. There is frost on the windshield as we … Read more
Bearing witness in the federal courthouse in Tucson, I begin to understand how complicated the issue of immigration is. The court proceedings of Operation Streamline may be efficient, but there is nothing easy about observing the criminal prosecution of frightened, desperate people. In Nogales we learned about the criminalization of immigration. We heard about the … Read more
Before I built a wall I’d ask to know What I was walling in or walling out, And to whom I was like to give offence. Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, That wants it down. —Robert Frost We begin our walking tour of downtown Nogales at the DeConcini Port, before crossing an … Read more
In my recent post on the Rabbis Without Borders blog, I share some stories from a recent immersion experience with the Kino Border Initiative in Nogales: We are a group of ten rabbis and educators, organized by Rabbis Without Borders colleague Charles Arian and hosted by a Catholic organization whose vision is humane, just, workable … Read more