Opinions

Survival is an enduring Jewish principle, one that we celebrated during Passover, and soon will rejoice on Israel’s Independence Day. The trajectory of the Jewish journey was very much on my mind as I recently traveled with an American Jewish Committee (AJC) delegation to Spain, Portugal and Morocco. For an American Jew, troubled by daily reports of rising anti-Semitism, radical Islamic threats, and endless assaults against Israel, it was heartening to have highly positive experiences in each of these countries.

Spring — when nature itself seems to reawaken — is a time for renewal. Indeed, Jewish tradition teaches that Passover is a holiday of rebirth, a second new year. So it’s probably a good idea to spruce up your bookshelf (or e-reader or audiobook app), no? Here are eight Jewishy suggestions to rejuvenate your reading.

(Editor’s note: These are the opening remarks Rabbi Neal Schuster presented at the Yom HaShoah Community Holocaust Commemoration Sunday, May 1, at the White Theatre.)

What does the Passover seder have to do with this year’s theme of Survivors’ Journeys and their arrival in Kansas City?

Thanks for the support

The Jewish Community Foundation-Friends of Sheffield are most appreciative of the article in the April 21st edition of the Chronicle on the completion of our “Restoring Honor Campaign” for Sheffield Cemetery.

For 13 years I have been taught many aspects of Jewish life and Jewish history. Living a Jewish life and learning from Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy, I became confident in my Jewish education. As I got older, Holocaust studies was integrated into our education. We read testimonials, the facts, the numbers. We even meet with survivors and heard their stories of triumph.

When I arrived in Israel for the first time this past March, I expected to be overcome with a rush of emotion. What kind, I was never entirely sure, but something inside me — most likely due to experiences of my peers — strongly believed that Israel would overwhelm me.

President’s Saudi trip confusing 

No one can deny that President Obama’s trip to Saudi Arabia was a part of his last-minute bid to ensure his legacy.

Last month we celebrated the completion of the “Restoring Honor Campaign,” which brought beauty and serenity back to the sacred grounds of Sheffield Cemetery.

I remember my first AIPAC national Policy Conference my freshman year at University of Michigan in 1992. We rode all night in a bus from Ann Arbor to Washington, D.C., to join the hundreds of other student delegates and thousands of adult delegates to lobby our members of Congress on the importance of the United States–Israel relationship.

I finally get it!