Aaron Starr

Rabbi, Senior Rabbinic Fellow of the Shalom Hartman Instiitute

Apply for a Blog

Dec 8, 2023, 12:45 AM

When Our Own Strength Fails Us

When Our Own Strength Fails Us: Reorganizing the American Jewish Community after October 7 Two months after October 7, with the meteoric rise in antisemitism and antisemitic acts throughout North America and the world, it is obvious that what American...

Mar 24, 2022, 1:50 AM

AIPAC, Israel and the Morality of Alliances

“Do not associate with a person given to anger, or go about with one who is hot-tempered, lest you learn his ways and find yourself ensnared.” Proverbs 22:24-25. AIPAC, the most powerful pro-Israel lobby in the United States, came under...

Jan 26, 2021, 9:43 PM

How Jewish Wisdom Can Heal A Divided America

Whether priest or prophet, politician or pundit, those who speak to others of morals and lofty ideals are expected not only to live those morals and to achieve those lofty ideals, but to exceed them as well. Failure to...

Apr 6, 2020, 11:06 PM

Seder Resource: A New 4 Questions, A New 4 Sons

Throughout the ages and across the lands, Jews on Passover have asked and answered the same question, “Why is this night different from all other nights?” As the pandemic of covid-19 affects each of our lives in countless ways,...

Jul 2, 2019, 7:47 AM

When at the Crossroad, Do Something…

I used Facebook recently to ask of friends around the community, “What are the two biggest "challenges or obstacles" facing Judaism today? Or, alternatively, what two aspects of Judaism do you think ought to change in light of the...

May 15, 2019, 5:03 AM

From Pittsburgh to Poway: What do we do now?

The day after a deadly shooting, people arrive to pay their respects in front of a memorial outside of the Tree of Life synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 28, 2018. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP)

4 steps to move American Jews through the pervasive fear that has followed the attacks

Apr 2, 2019, 11:56 PM

A Zionist and a BDSer Walk into A Seder

This coming Passover, in addition to participating in the seder, a good deal of time will be spent around the table discussing domestic politics and world affairs. Reflecting on how the chasms in our society seemingly grow ever larger...

Jan 11, 2019, 7:10 PM

A Great Schism or a Great Exaggeration?

Several people forwarded to me this week an article from the New York Times written by Jonathan Weisman, titled, "American Jews and Israeli Jews Are Headed for a Messy Breakup: Is the world ready for another Great Schism?" Upon reading...

Aug 9, 2018, 5:07 AM

The conversation about the birthrate conversation

Illustrative. Baby's hand in hand. (via Shutterstock)

Nobody wants to pry into others' complicated lives, but if non-Orthodox Jews don't have babies, their Judaism won't survive

Apr 25, 2018, 4:40 PM

Who’s the boss? Conservative Judaism and its crisis of leadership

The international bodies of this authentic movement must to do all they can to operate efficiently and effectively

Load more

About Me

Aaron Starr is a rabbi at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield, Michigan and a senior rabbinic fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute. A member of the Conservative Movement's Rabbinical Assembly and the Michigan Board of Rabbis, Rabbi Starr is author of the books, "Don't Forget to Call Home: Lessons from God and Grandpa on a Life of Meaning," "Taste of Hebrew," and "Because I'm Jewish I Get to ...".

Contact Me