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David A. Lyon

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Mar 31, 2026, 3:45 AM

To the Attention of Elijah the Prophet on Passover

Dear Elijah, Every year we gather at Passover and welcome you to join us. Some of us prepare our tables for you with beautiful Passover dishes, silver, and linens. Our grandparents, our bubbes and zaydes, used them and then gave...

Apr 28, 2023, 4:36 AM

An Historic 180 Degrees on Israel

Congregation Beth Israel, Houston, Texas

This just in from America: Congregation Beth Israel in Houston, Texas, the oldest synagogue in Texas (organized 1854), proudly acknowledges Israel’s 75th anniversary and commits itself to Israel education, support, and advocacy. To you it might sound like a...

Feb 17, 2022, 10:33 PM

Forging the Future of Worship

At the end of last month, an opinion writer for the New York Times, wrote on “Why Churches Should Drop their Online Services.” Thankfully, Tish Harrison Warren, a priest in the Anglican Church in North America, wasn’t speaking for...

Apr 11, 2020, 12:49 PM

Fatal fictions and timely truths

A funeral director wears personal protective equipment due to COVID-19 concerns while collecting a body at The Brooklyn Hospital Center, Thursday, April 9, 2020, in Brooklyn, New York. New York state posted a record-breaking number of coronavirus deaths for a third consecutive day even as a surge of patients in overwhelmed hospitals slowed, while isolation-weary residents were warned Thursday the crisis was far from over. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

The road forward requires that we hold accountable those who denied the truth about this pandemic and cost the lives of our loved ones

Aug 13, 2018, 11:49 PM

Omarosa and Stephen: An Opportunist and a Shanda

Omarosa and Stephen. Where to begin? Before Omarosa was bit by the celebrity bug on “The Apprentice” she was likely an opportunist-in-the-making. If you recall her stint on the show, she was unliked by her teammates and eager to...

Jul 30, 2018, 11:41 PM

“Beware of Falling Rocks!”: A sign of the times

In Jerusalem, a large stone fell from the Western Wall onto the egalitarian prayer space near Robinson’s Arch. It was a piece of Herodian stone set some 2,000 years ago. When it fell out of its place and landed...

Apr 12, 2017, 6:48 AM

On Passover the Present Appears on a Blank Canvas

A story is told about a Jewish art lover who brought home a large canvas in an ornate frame. Showing it to his wife with great pride, he said: “Look at this beautiful Passover painting I bought!” The wife stared in...

Mar 23, 2016, 6:36 PM

Beware: Any References to Purim Are Only Coincidental

I was there when Donald Trump appeared at the AIPAC Policy Conference. It was another reality TV moment for a man who breathes the air of celebrity and ego. He's a man whose feet never really walk where you...

Mar 10, 2016, 8:15 PM

Condolences to Facts on Israel

When will it end? Horrifying accounts on the front pages of credible news sources tell the real story of terrorist attacks aimed at Jews in Israel. At the gates to the Old City and on the sidewalks along the...

Jul 20, 2015, 10:16 PM

P5+1 Deal with Iran: Against it or Hate it?

My email inbox is stuffed with articles, posts, and opinions about the P5+1 deal with Iran. It was difficult to sort them out until I devised a system to organize them. I put them into two files on my...

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About Me

Rabbi Lyon is Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel, Houston, Texas. Lyon can be heard on iHeartRadio's Podcast "Heart to Heart w/Rabbi David Lyon" on Sunny99.com and iHeartMedia app. He is the author of the book "God of Me: Imagining God Throughout Your Lifetime" (Jewish Lights 2011), available at Amazon.com. He is President of the CCAR (Central Conference of America Rabbis) Board of Trustees. He serves on the board of the Jewish Community Legacy Project (JCLP); and in Houston, Lyon is active in interfaith and community partnerships, and is a member of ADL's Coalition for Mutual Respect.

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