First Person

Born on October 7 (and Yom Kippur)

History Yori Yanover

I cannot celebrate my 70th birthday either on Yom Kippur, because of the issur on cake, or on October 7, because my country is in tears, and that's it.

Word Prompt – SEMICHA – Shani Taragin

First Person Rabbanit Shani Taragin

As we must go out to battle again, we are reminded of the chain of succession and success from the time of Moshe Rabbeinu and Yehoshua ben Nun.

A Nation Mobilizes

First Person Rabbi Chaim Goldberg

But of course, despite all these signals that something was very, very, very, wrong, nothing in my wildest imaginations conceived of the full horror that confronted me upon opening the news motzaei Simchat Torah.

Rooted in the Land

First Person Rabbi Jonathan Ziring

LeAdam Maarechei Lev, UMeiHashem Maaneh Lashon – The thoughts of the heart are man’s, but from G-d comes the utterance of the tongue (Mishlei 16:1). I barely know what I am feeling yet I trust Hashem to give me the words.

Who Is Like You, Israel?

First Person Sydell Stern

As I watch the Western and European news, which at first was so supportive, I knew that it would be only a matter of time before the support for Israel started to be challenged.

What Our Children See

First Person Sarah Sassoon

They are scared. They are dealing with emotions adults struggle to deal with. Breathe, I say to my youngest son. Breathe and know we have each other.

Scents of Geula

First Person Shui Haber

Our world seemed to shift overnight. Flights canceled, a family bar mitzvah postponed, the resurgence of online school – we were thrust back into a lifestyle reminiscent of the covid era.

The Chesed Bubble

First Person Ziona Greenwald, J.D.

Everyone has a husband/son/brother/nephew/cousin who has been called up, and ten days in, already everyone knows of someone who won’t be coming home.

Our Babies… Our Flag

First Person Barbara Diamond

As the days of this war proceed, possibly well-meaning people ask us to care for those who may be collateral damage. The actions of Hamas have made that quite impossible. The responsibility lies exclusively on their shoulders.

Living in Tears and Hope

First Person Ariela Davis

The fear and stress are very real and while we are mostly managing now, the questions about how bad it could get are a place where our minds don’t want to go.

The Not Normal Normal

First Person Avi Ganz

We have all fallen into a sort of lull wherein this is the new normal, but it is not the new normal and it is not any normal, and guess what? Not everything needs to be normal.

We Are All Called Up

First Person Naami Ganz

We are all being called up. None of us are untouched by this war. It may be different for you or for me, but at the end of the day, as Jewish people, we are all connected.

Siddurim for our Troops

First Person Matthew Miller

One thing of which we are certain, and something that provides moments of not just comfort, but of hope, is the response of the ordinary people of Israel to the difficult times in which we find ourselves.

War Is Horribly Necessary

First Person Rafi Goldmeier

We are a resilient people. We have survived thousands of years with a lot of hatred and evil directed at us over the generations. All we can do is trust that as a nation we will get through this. By hook or by crook.

Concentric Circles

First Person Rabbi Elli Fischer

Each circle is crucial. Each circle reinforces and enables the others, and each contributes to the extraordinary effort that we must collectively make.

No, We’re Not Okay

First Person Ariella Tenenbaum

I can handle navigating a slew of complicated existential questions from my kids, but when my sweet, caring eight-year-old daughter turned to me one night and asked the simplest question of all, But why? Why do they hate us so much? I have no answer for her.

From The Jewish Press Co-Publisher

First Person Naomi Klass Mauer

Monday we had sirens in Jerusalem. It's very frightening. It's hard for me to rush anywhere, and the only place I can go is into the hallway – and then comes the loud boom, thank G-d.

Torah And Terror: A Tale Of A Resilient Nation

First Person Hillel Fuld

We are in this together and we will win this, no matter how long it takes. We have no choice. As a nation, we’ve gotten through much harder times. They hurt. We lost so many. But we are here and we are not going anywhere.

This Is What It Takes?

First Person Lori Palatnik

He could be hit by a bus in Toronto, or die because he is a Jew in Israel. One death is meaningless; the other has infinite meaning.

A Simchas Torah Like No Other

First Person Rabbi Yehuda L Oppenheimer

But we citizens, especially religious citizens, must take this terrible debacle as a severe wake-up call to unite again as a people.

Peace Of Mind

First Person Rosally Saltsman

Can there be a better name for this child born on the brink of one of Israel’s worst wars than one that means – Hashem, listen to our hearts!

We Didn’t Understand the Gazans

First Person Ben Waxman

If there is one thing that I can take comfort in, it is that the Arabs misunderstand us just as badly as we misunderstand them. If they thought that surprising Israel would bring us to our knees, then maybe they should have checked with Nassrallah about that assumption.

A Time For War

First Person Dr. Michael Tobin

I don’t get it. What cruel version of humanity kidnaps a Filipino caretaker and her Alzheimer’s patient? For what purpose?

We Will Prevail

First Person Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander

There is hardly a home in Israel that has not been touched. But the People of Israel are the eternal people – and we will prevail.

A Period of Mourning

First Person Michael Krampner

Hamas will ask for a lot for the hostages. Hamas will rightly believe that there will be intense political pressure to rescue the captives at almost any price. Although we think that no price is too high for the return of Jewish hostages, there may be some prices that are too high.