Jews, Czechs, Poles, Jacob and Esau is Episode 81 of A Dash of Drash, recorded in my last hour in Prague.

I visited Auschwitz for the first time last week and am still processing that intense experience, which has left a lasting imprint on me.

"I am sitting in the cafe the Galicia Museum in Krakow's Jewish quarter, which tells the 1,000 year old tale of Jews in this land."

Tonight there was a very powerful and moving vigil at JW3, London's JCC, for the victims of Pittsburgh. 

In these challenging times, we have to sustain the vision of a nation and a world where our freedoms of expression and practice, whoever we are, are cherished and protected.

Parshat Vayera (Genesis 18:1–22:24) includes towards the end the very challenging story of Akedat Yitzhak, the Binding of Isaac.

I was in Birmingham following a mission to Montgomery with 35 rabbis and other Jewish leaders, on a trip organized by T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, to visit the incredible Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. 

The stories in Genesis are full of depth, mystery and profound lessons for each generation. Parshat Noah begins with the story of the catastrophic flood (Chapter 6) and ends with tale of The Tower of Babel (Chapter 11).

On the sixth day, according to the story, Adam, the first human form, is created in God's image. Was that a good thing?

Aviva Marilyn Robinson, mother of Abby Kone Robinson, passed away on Sunday afternoon September 23, 2018, right before Sukkot in Michigan.

Phyllis Dinhoffer, mother of Kara Mertz, died on September 14, 2018 at her home at The Carillon, just three months after her beloved husband Joel. 

In these frightening times where anti-Semitism and other forces of hate are alive and well in our world, we have an obligation to remember Doris Small, Devorah bat Moshe u’Miriam, and to tell her story, even though it’s no fairy tale.

Doris Small passed away early in the morning of September 3rd, 2018, with her daughter by her side. The funeral will be Tuesday, September 4th.

Every morning during the month of Elul, leading us into the New Year, it is traditional to blow and hear the shofar whose voice is supposed to wake us up to our mission.

It can be hard to feel satisfied in this world that screams at us that we always need more!

Ayn od milvado; there is nothing other than God. Does this mean that if we are really spiritual, we transcend all the grossness of our physical world?

Tamar Michele Bradley, sister Josh Goldstein, passed away the morning of July 25, 2018 in New York.

The third Jonathan from London is Jonathan Boyd who is the Executive Director of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research in London.

Ann Brown (Chasha bat Laib v Leah), mother of Beth Ornstein, died peacefully on Saturday evening in San Diego. 

Towards the end of The Book of Numbers, there is a list of 42 places on the Israelite's journey as they hope to enter a new land. It is reminiscent of the wanderings of refugees, migrants and asylum seekers of which there are some 65 million in our world today.

Acclaimed writer and director Jonathan Glazer is Rabbi Marc's oldest friend and for years, they have enjoyed conversations on where art, religion, spirituality and culture meet and diverge. 

The separation of families that we are witnessing at our borders is a moral emergency that transcends politics. On Wednesday June 27, we will gather to make our voices heard.

Leadership and Transition with special guests Rabbis Gavriel Goldfeder and Salomon Gruenwald is Episode 70 of A Dash of Drash. In Parshat Hukkat (Numbers 19:1-22:1), Miriam and Aaron die, and Moses is told that he will not lead the people into the Promised Land.

In Parshat Korach (Numbers 16:1-18:32), the leadership of Moses and Aaron is challenged and the source of that challenge is Korach.

Ellen Kurry (Esther bat Leah v'Melech), mother of Drew Kurry, passed away on Friday, June 8, 2018 in Florida.