David-Seth Kirshner, at The Blogs

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Jun 18, 2018, 10:26 PM

Mental illness is not the ‘cooties’

Doctors often say that High Blood Pressure is the “silent killer.” Sadly, I think a new illness has claimed that moniker: Mental Illness. Robin Williams hanged himself, then Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain committed suicide in the same week, proving that depression is not limited...

May 14, 2018, 1:58 PM

A front row seat for history

The Great Seal of the United States. (Wikipedia)

My fellow Democrats and Conservative Jews should really be here with me for this miraculous US Embassy move

Apr 23, 2018, 7:49 AM

Natalie Portman’s Colossal Mistake

Natalie Portman, the Israeli born, proudly Jewish, Schechter Day School graduating, Oscar winning actress made headlines in the Jewish world this week because of what she rejected instead of what she accepted. Portman was selected to be the 2018 recipient of the Genesis award, a...

Feb 14, 2018, 4:04 AM

Who owns the Shoah?

A Hungarian member of our synagogue who survived the Holocaust, chose to memorialize his family and loved ones that did not share his fate. He sought to erect a monument to their memory in his hometown that read: In memory of the Jews killed by...

Jan 2, 2018, 12:01 AM

Another Open Letter to AIPAC Leffell Fellows,* 2018

Dear Leffell Fellows: Spending this week in Israel with you has been a blessing on countless levels. While some pundits speak about a malaise in Jewish engagement and other surveys give us reason to worry about the prospect of Judaism, each of you – individually...

Dec 6, 2017, 9:25 PM

Join the Umpire Movement

The world is becoming more simplistic every day. Every morning we wake to learn new circumstances that call for more nuance and less generalities. In a Twitter centered, staccato statement, elevator pitch world, this proves to be challenging. To combat this, I suggest that we...

Aug 11, 2017, 6:53 AM

Don’t judge a book store by its cover

When I first heard about the impending closure of West Side Judaica, the bookstore on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, I felt the urge to tear my clothes. I did not. Thank goodness, no person died, but not only will a legendary landmark close its doors...

Jul 11, 2017, 11:38 AM

Who cares about a list?

I want to contribute my two shekels of thought about the rabbinic blacklist. Many colleagues are offended that their names are on the list of rabbis that are blacklisted in Israel while others are upset that they were omitted. All seem to be shocked and...

Jul 10, 2017, 9:53 AM

Upside Down as the New Normal

UNESCO voted against Israel yesterday. No shocking news here. Lovers of Israel have become numb to the prejudice and vitriol displayed towards the Nation State of the Jewish people by all institutions that begin with the letters UN. The so-called Human Rights organization announced that...

Jun 29, 2017, 10:34 PM

The Unlikely Partner for Equality in Israel

The recent decision by the Israeli government to renege on its promise to dedicate prayer space for non-Orthodox Jews at the southern side of the Western Wall has left Diaspora Jews in a pickle. Beyond feeling betrayed — again — by the promises of the government, no...

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About Me

David-Seth Kirshner is the senior rabbi of Temple Emanu-El, a Conservative synagogue in Closter, New Jersey. He is the Immediate Past President of the NY Board of Rabbis, President of the NJ Board of Rabbis and a Senior Rabbinic Fellow at the Hartman Institute.