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May 18, 2018, 10:15 AM

What do you hear? Laurel and Yanny on Israel and Gaza

IDF soldiers on the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip as thousands of Palestinians demonstrate near the border fence, April 6, 2018. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

What an ambiguous computerized voice can teach about getting to peace in the Middle East

Apr 21, 2018, 12:14 AM

“Al Kol Eleh” – “For all these things”: Thoughts on Israel’s 70th birthday

In honor of Israel's 70th Yom Ha-Atzma'ut this week, the organization Koolulam released this video of 12,000 Israelis singing together. In a stadium in Tel Aviv, they learned and performed the vocal parts for the classic song "Al Kol...

Dec 1, 2017, 7:58 PM

Jacob and Esau, Itamar and the Rabbit, and mutual fear

Illustrative: Cover photo from David Grossman's children's book, Itamar Meets a Rabbit (in Hebrew: Itamar pogesh arnav).

The simplicity of a children's book reminds us that fearing each other makes the world more dangerous

Aug 16, 2017, 7:20 AM

Monuments to tyrants — in Ukraine, and in the United States

Several years ago on a visit to Kiev, the capital of Ukraine and the (approximate) home of my great-grandparents, I was surprised to see a large majestic statue of the Cossack leader Bogdan Chmielnicki -- a 17th-century political and...

Jun 30, 2017, 1:33 PM

Walking towards each other: Lessons from a biblical judge (Haftarah Hukkat)

The Haftarah for the Torah portion of Hukkat (read in Jewish communities around the world this year on July 1) revolves around the story of one particular judge, named Yiftach (often rendered in English as “Jephthah,” but “Yiftach” is...

Mar 7, 2017, 2:47 AM

Haman on the couch

The Purim story is full of fascinating and unusual characters who each have their resonances in our contemporary world. King Achashverosh reminds us of the various world leaders or other powerful people who are ineffectual and yet somehow ascend...

Jan 20, 2017, 5:57 AM

Kings and Presidents, Bowing and Standing

Three thoughts on the American presidential transition. (a) One of my favorite passages from the Talmud (Berakhot 34a) describes how one is supposed to bow when saying the Amidah (most important Jewish prayer, recited while standing). Regular people are supposed...

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About Me

Rabbi Robert Scheinberg is the rabbi of the United Synagogue of Hoboken, a teacher and musician, and an adjunct faculty member at the Jewish Theological Seminary.