One of Rosh HaShana’s major themes is birth: We call this holiday yom harat olam, “the birthday of the world.” In the Torah and Haftara we read of the long-awaited births of Isaac and Samuel. This year, as a new parent myself, this theme is a powerful expression of hope. Pushing my four-month-old’s stroller down… Read more »

It’s likely we humans can agree that this year’s unforeseen events have been a jolt, and for Jews and many others, since October 7, the shock waves continue to ripple. It’s as if the world as we knew it went out the window. Again. Which made me think about Elul, and the worthy practice of… Read more »

This is Evening’s Garment, a fairly large painting of mine (40” x 78”). As I’m writing this in August, it is in my exhibition at Berry Campbell Gallery in Chelsea. I’m an abstract painter who began painting in the 1970’s, inspired and taught by Color Field painters, American Modernist abstract artists who conceived of color,… Read more »

Hello Ansche Chesed, I’m Dave Goldstein. Many of you know me from my TV appearances and comedy shows across the US, Canada, and Europe. OK, almost none of you know me. I’m a proud member of Ansche Chesed and I joined the shul just before Covid hit. I usually have better timing. I’ve tried to… Read more »

Below is a short scene from my most recent film, Rabbi on the Block, that shows Rabbi Tamar Manasseh observing Yom Kippur on a corner on the southside of Chicago. Rabbi Tamar is a Chicago-based anti gun violence activist and community leader. In 2021, she was ordained as a rabbi by the International Israelite Board of Rabbis. She is… Read more »