Our Worst - and Best - Selves

From screen time to free throws, Rabbi Zuckerman explores why we resist positive change, even when we know it would serve us, and how Yom Kippur can inspire us to choose the path of courage and growth.

With the rapid rise of a new kind of antisemitism, we are not the first generation of Jews who have navigated this challenge. Rabbi Zauzmer compares our time to Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel's, imploring us to follow his example with three steps we can take in the fight against antisemitism.

What is the gift of Yizkor? Rabbi Cosgrove teaches that as we recall those who are no longer with us, we can pledge to create a memorial for them by the way we live. By taking full advantage of each day, we guarantee that we will enjoy length of days.

Can we support Israel’s legitimate self-defense and also have empathy for the suffering of Gaza? Rabbi Cosgrove teaches that the tension between concern for self and concern for the other defines Jewish identity and that self-examination together with critique of the other is the essence of Yom Kippur.

On this Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Zuckerman reflected on the extraordinary resilience of the Jewish people—from the displaced persons camps of 1945, where life and learning were rebuilt out of devastation, to the challenges we face today after October 7. Through stories of survival, renewal, and his own journey to Israel, Rabbi Zuckerman explored a timeless truth: “Those who have a why to live can bear almost any how.” As we enter the new year, he calls on us to root ourselves in purpose, to live by the teachings of our tradition, and to take the wheel of our own lives.

Remembering Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on her fifth yahrzeit, Rabbi Zauzmer urges us to disagree better and to see the humanity in everyone.

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Rabbi Cosgrove turns to the legacy of Jonas Phillips for guidance and inspiration. His story — immigrant, patriot, proud Jew — challenges us to claim our freedoms boldly, live our Judaism publicly, and secure a vibrant Jewish future.

In an age of viral shame, Rabbi Cosgrove tells us that the High Holidays teach  otherwise. God does not seek our destruction but our return. We stand before God as our worst — and best — selves, called to forgiveness, renewal, and life.

Two hundred years ago, Mordecai Manuel Noah dreamed of Ararat, a Jewish refuge on the Niagara River. His vision failed, but the question endures: how to live fully in the world without losing ourselves to it. Rabbi Cosgrove calls on us to take up that challenge anew.

A new episode of our teens’ project on the family history of senior members of our community is now available. These conversations offered the teens a new perspective on Jewish American life and gave the adults the chance to reflect and connect with Gen Z.