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Arnold D. Samlan

Jewish Educational Leader, South Florida

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Sep 25, 2025, 10:33 PM

Be Smart in 5786

Some of you know that I spend way too much time on social media. Much of it is a waste of time, but much of it also has connected me to smart people who share thinking with me. So,...

Mar 27, 2025, 7:54 PM

Being a Post-Ashkenazi Jew

As Passover approaches, the diversity of practices between Jewish communities becomes more pronounced, visible, and even controversial. For example, the Hasidic stringency of not eating Matza products to which liquid has been added (gebrochts in Yiddish) has spread in some...

Sep 19, 2024, 7:21 PM

Rosh Hashana Prayer for Jewish Communal Pros

The past five years have been challenging for us – rabbis, cantors, Jewish educators and youth professionals, and all Jewish communal workers here in the United States and worldwide. It’s not that our jobs were easy to begin with. But...

Sep 6, 2024, 10:49 PM

This is how good American Jews vote

There are a few key questions I ask about candidates, even before finding out where they stand on issues that matter to me

Jul 30, 2024, 11:31 PM

The Kedusha / Holiness of the U.S. Elections

Before sharing my thoughts, allow me to introduce myself: I am a proud registered Independent voter in the United States. Because the state of Florida denies the right to vote in primaries to anyone who is not registered with...

Oct 27, 2023, 5:45 AM

Welcome to the Mishpacha: Love Note To Non-Jews in Jewish & Israel Organizations

My Dear Non-Jewish Colleagues: I know I've thanked you before over the years, but this time is different. You've been the administrative assistants, the financial staff, the preschool teachers, day school teachers, sports and fitness pros at the JCC, executives, development...

Oct 23, 2023, 12:59 AM

Hug a Jewish communal professional this week

We're tired. And yet also energized. This is what it feels like to work in the American Jewish community today. I'm not kvetching. Lord knows, what we who work in the Jewish community do is nowhere near putting our lives...

Oct 17, 2023, 12:49 AM

How Jews Are Religiously Loving Israel Today

As I write this, we are 10 days out from the most horrible terrorist attack to ever hit Israel. Despite being a shomer Shabbat Jew, my Simchat Torah, for all practical purposes, ended early, as we learned through word of mouth...

Sep 20, 2023, 6:14 PM

Jonah and the Gift of Rejection

Can we talk about rejection for a bit? Everyone’s experienced rejection. From a boyfriend, girlfriend, maybe even a spouse. From a job you really wanted, or one you already had. Maybe we’ve been rejected as a blood donor or...

Sep 10, 2021, 11:35 PM

Rosh Hashana 2: How’d We Get Stupid About Israel?

Shana tova. This d’var Torah continues my High Holiday theme: Where Are We, How Did We Get Here, and What Do We Do Now. Over the past several years, we have seen a frightening growth in antisemitism in the United...

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About Me

Rabbi Arnie Samlan, Executive Director of Jewish Learning of the Jewish Federation Broward County, Florida, Is a rabbi and Jewish educator whose work has impacted Jewish learners, community leaders and professionals across North America. All blog posts are his personal opinions and are not meant to reflect viewpoints of the Jewish Federation.

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