Rabbi David Meyer leaves a lasting legacy at Temple Emanu-El
MARBLEHEAD – There is no exact formula for becoming the ideal rabbi for a congregation, but over the last 31 years, Rabbi David Meyer seems to have come up with one that has allowed congregants to grow spiritually while connecting to a broad and strong Jewish community. The soft-spoken Meyer, who grew up in Kansas […]
A summer of anxiety for American Jews: A time to worry about antisemitism at home, and developments in the Middle East
American Jews this summer have split vision. One eye is on the trial of the gunman who killed 11 worshipers at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. The other eye is on the West Bank, where hostilities are reaching a boiling point. It is that split vision – worries about antisemitism at home, concern […]
A Holocaust story unknown to most: The journey from a Greek island to Auschwitz
RHODES, Greece – Almost every visitor to this Dodecanese island arrives with a guidebook in hand. I recommend instead a book called “One Hundred Saturdays.” It is Michael Frank’s story of the hundred Saturdays he spent taking the testimony of Stella Levi, a woman unknown to most Jews but whose story begs to be known. […]
With Joe Biden, Jewish Americans have a strong ally in the White House
For the past 66 years, the federal government has produced bound editions bearing the title “Public Papers of the Presidents.” Hardly anyone ever opens these books; I have spent a lifetime covering and studying presidents, and even I seldom pierce them. But there is reason to hope that, sometime in the future, someone might open […]
Arthur J. Epstein, business executive and philanthropist, dies
Arthur Joseph Epstein, who rose from modest roots in Malden to become a business executive and philanthropist, died on Sunday, March 21, 2023. He was 86. While in high school, Arthur worked in his father’s Wakefield factory, Mystic Enterprises. After his father passed when Arthur was 16, he took on more responsibilities at Mystic. Arthur […]
Editorial: Honoring our community leaders, and supporting the Jewish Journal
The North Shore, and Greater Boston, are blessed with dedicated, compassionate community Jewish leaders. While they are volunteers, many see their work as a 24-hour job. And over the last three years during the pandemic, the pressures of the job have been intense. As people moved online and away from in-person gatherings, the work continued […]
A giant among us: Bernie Hyatt, former Jewish Advocate owner, dies at 99
Bernie Hyatt always seemed to be around a story, or telling one. A Harvard-educated attorney and the son of a rabbi, Hyatt rejected law and instead combined two of his strongest passions: Judaism and journalism. For more than half a century, he embodied Jewish journalism in Boston. A dapper dresser and raconteur, he wrote over […]
Editorial: Happy Passover
Passover began this week and runs until April 13. According to a Pew Foundation study, 70 percent of American Jews participate in a Seder, making it the most popular holiday Jews observe. It is a social holiday that brings families, friends and strangers to the table to partake in a night of storytelling and food. […]
Honorable Menschion: Jerry Somers
Jerry Somers spent his formative years in Brookline involved in a variety of Jewish organizations that later led to his passion for social justice. His law career at Goodwin Procter was instrumental for the many leadership roles he later assumed at Temple Emanu-El, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC), the Jim Joseph Foundation and […]
Editorial: On Passover, Israelis help define the meaning of freedom
On Saturday evening after Shabbat, Israelis taught the world a lesson about democracy. Hundreds of thousands could not sit still after they learned that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Gallant had warned that Netanyahu’s plan to reform the country’s judiciary system was becoming a threat to Israel’s security. Pilots, key […]