Weekly Edition: December 30th, 2022

Shabbat shalom and happy secular new year! For this heavy football weekend coming up (college and pro), Morah Yehudis brought our attention to this article in the Forward about Sam Salz, a walk-on running back for Texas A&M University — and an Orthodox Jew who wears a kippah under his helmet. It makes interesting reading as you await kickoff.

Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with our brothers and sisters under attack in Israel, Ukraine, and the women of this country.

Stay warm, stay safe and stay healthy, and our best wishes for 2023! See you next year!

Here are stories from the last week:

News/Columns/Letters

• Noa Tishby Becomes The 11,000^th Person To Sign The Jewish Future Pledge (12/29/2022) - The Jewish Future Pledge announced that it has surpassed 11,000 pledges as author, producer, actress, thought leader and Israel advocate Noa Tishby has signed the organization’s moral commitment. Continue Reading
• Column: Memo to GOP: Shine Glaring Spotlight on Omar, Tlaib and Company (12/29/2022) - Nearly four years ago, Liz Cheney and 22 other Republicans voted against a motherhood, apple pie-style resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives denouncing antisemitism, Islamophobia, sexism, racism, homophobia and all other forms of bias. Continue Reading
• Staenberg-Loup JCC’s Ranch Camp and Camp Shai Receive Funding to Advance Mental Health (12/28/2022) - The Foundation for Jewish Camp recently selected two camps run by the Staenberg-Loup Jewish Community Center, JCC Ranch Camp and Camp Shai, to participate in a ground-breaking initiative to enhance the mental, emotional, spiritual, and social health of its camp community. Continue Reading
• Letter: Response to Open Letter from 330 Rabbis (12/28/2022) - The true affront to the vast majority of American Jews and “our values” is that, like anti-Zionist Berkeley Law student groups, we now have 330 rabbis pledging not to invite any speakers whose views they oppose. Continue Reading

Jewish Life

• Embodied Kabbalah (12/28/2022) - I recently had the opportunity to interview Rabbi Matthew Ponak, author of the newly released book "Embodied Kabbalah: Jewish Mysticism for All People." Rabbi Matthew shared his journey into religion and spirituality as he learned to find a balance between the two. Continue Reading

Arts and Culture

• Saging Visions (12/29/2022) - Moments and days billow into decades stepping into another decennium until we finally are hailed into our Saging years.  We have Visions.]: Continue Reading