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Jun 10, 2021, 9:41 PM

The next president and prime minister of Israel attended the same NY synagogue

The fact that one synagogue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan can claim both the president and prime minister of Israel as alumni might be a coincidence. Even so, it is not a random one. (Courtesy, Esther Zarnel, Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun)

I woke up on June 2nd to the realization that my synagogue, Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun, had attained a unique distinction: the new president and the next prime minister of the State of Israel were both former congregants. The new...

Dec 15, 2017, 2:34 PM

NYC mayor to 33,800 Jewish and Muslim students: Free lunch, but not for you

Illustrative. (iStock)

Mayor de Blasio will feed all school kids. Well, except for 33,800 students who eat halal and kosher

Jul 22, 2015, 11:02 AM

On hunger, Iran and Tisha B’Av

Fasting is foreign to us. In the Middle Ages, people fasted a great deal. The 9th century Babylonian work Halachot Gedolot (Tur OH 580) lists no less than 25 additional fast days that are obligatory; in addition, people fasted...

Apr 3, 2015, 6:36 PM

The Bitter Herb’s Bittersweet Lesson

Why dredge up ugly memories when you’re celebrating your triumphs? It’s much more pleasant to forget the bad times and focus on the good times. And yet, the Seder focuses a great deal on remembering the pain and suffering of...

Mar 9, 2015, 12:16 AM

In the Casino of Life – Sermon for Ki Tissa 2015

Esther finally gets her moment This morning, I will not analyze Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to a joint session of the U.S. Congress. Pundits and political scientists have already dissected the speech, reviewed the personal drama of Bibi vs. Barack, and...

Feb 9, 2015, 1:54 PM

Why Don’t We “Get” Shabbat?

I hate to admit this, but there’s one sermon topic of mine that has consistently flopped. The topic is Shabbat. We don’t seem to get Shabbat. What’s puzzling to me is why we don’t. I’m not talking as a Shabbat observer looking...

Dec 17, 2014, 5:15 AM

Beit Shamai’s Chanukah – The Jews as the Comeback Kids

Nov 6, 2014, 6:29 PM

The Holocaust Survivor’s Guide to Happiness

This is a very personal video, and I hope you find it worthwhile. It was filmed this past June, and is being posted now to coincide with Kristallnacht. The video is part of R3CA, a new series of videos made by members...

Sep 3, 2014, 4:42 AM

Loyalty to Zaideh, Yesterday and Today

When I was in my late teens, I would visit my grandfather, Yaakov Ben Zion Steinmetz, several times a week. Inevitably, before I would leave, he would launch into the same request. “Chaim”, he used to say, “will you...

Aug 1, 2014, 3:29 AM

On Tisha B’Av, Pray for the Soldiers of the IDF

A friend in Israel wrote me about going with his 20 year old daughter to her friend’s funeral. He said he had nothing to tell his daughter, no way of explaining the unjustified death of a young man. And...

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About Me

Chaim Steinmetz is senior rabbi at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun in New York City. Rabbi Steinmetz has been a congregational Rabbi for over 20 years, and has previously served pulpits in Montreal, Quebec and Mount Vernon, New York.