A Festival of Lights in a moment of shadows
Israel is coming up on two months at war. More than 100 hostages have been released from Gaza – but over 100 remain captive. Israelis are starting to knit together the national wound that was torn open on Oct. 7 – and in the U.S., antisemitism has risen nearly 400 percent nationwide. It is a […]
‘Youk,’ colleagues go to bat for Israel
Houston Astros star third baseman Alex Bregman was first to respond. When the video file from Bregman landed in his inbox, Kevin Youkilis knew his mission had legs. It was Oct. 15, eight days after Hamas’ savage invasion of Israel. Bregman was filmed at the Astros clubhouse, in uniform, before a playoff game against Texas. […]
A Christmas story for Hanukkah
This Hanukkah, let us do something completely unorthodox. Let’s talk about a Christmas tree. Let’s contemplate Christmas 1941. It was the first Noel of World War II. Smoke still emanated from the upturned hulls of battleships destroyed in Pearl Harbor, which had been attacked 18 days earlier. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was visiting the […]
HONORABLE MENSCHION: Patricia “Patti” McWeeney
Can you tell us a little about where you grew up and your Jewish background? I grew up in Longmeadow, Mass., with my parents, Fanchon and Harold Ratner, and two older brothers, Charles and David. We belonged to Temple Beth El, a Conservative synagogue in Springfield. Between Hebrew school, bar/bat mitzvahs, confirmation, and weekends at […]
Editorial: Hold on to the light
Darkness greets us at dawn in December. The morning winds begin, the trees sway, the birds hover above the frozen ground and we carry on, adjusting – ignoring the chilly gusts that seem to whisper something new each morning. There is much to ponder in winter’s glare and shadows. We can’t do much without light, […]
Memo to Globe: Please report fairly on the Hamas war
As a reporter, editor, and newspaper publisher, I am loathe to wade into the discussion of how other publications gather news, or what their opinion columnists should write about. But the last two weeks have given me pause, and I cannot be silent about several pieces published by the Boston Globe. (For full disclosure, I […]
Hamas slaughter shakes nation
Let it be recorded that on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, something broke again in the collective soul of the Jewish people. It occurred on Shabbat, and on the holiday of Simchat Torah. On that day, one’s hope for common decency and respect among nations of this world was shattered when hate stormed back into the […]
Canada’s moment of shame: A Nazi earns standing ovations from the Canadian House of Commons
MONTREAL – These things happen all the time: A prominent lawmaker squires a local constituent through the halls of a legislative body, celebrates him as a hero, and stands by as his guest receives waves of appreciative applause. But things like the episode that unfolded in the past several days in Canada, with timing like […]
Editorial: The Days of Awe are upon us
Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Friday, Sept. 15, and Yom Kippur starts the evening of Sunday, Sept. 24. You don’t have be an observant Jew to feel the shift. As humans, we are sensitive to all changes in our environment. And, in many ways, this summer’s dose of humility – Israel’s political and social […]
Local teens forge bond with Jewish community during Youth to Israel tour
Before going to Israel, Ben Zamansky never understood why he had to go to temple on Yom Kippur. His father would tell him that it was good to be a part of something bigger, but it never resonated with him – until now. “When I went to Israel, and I was always surrounded by Jewish […]