David Debow, at The Blogs

Jan 1, 2025, 6:04 AM

Dear John, I didn’t think our friendship of forty years would end over current events. I saw no reason why it should end at all. I am dismayed by the 447 days since you last replied to me, since you...

Nov 3, 2024, 9:14 AM

Kamala and Doug, Moses and his Cushite Wife

Jews enjoy pride of place in the battle against racism in the US. They have been in the forefront of breaking down racial barriers and challenging bigotry. There is reason for this, and I will argue it goes way...

Mar 22, 2024, 3:57 PM

Amalek’s Mother

In a diminutive verse, the Torah alludes to the troubled childhood that birthed Am Yisrael’s worst enemy. The verse is so unassuming that the Sages make it the archetypical throw-away line. They protect it by equating all scripture in...

Jan 20, 2024, 11:33 PM

Featured Post

Victory is possible, if you name it right

IDF reservists of the 646th Brigade treat a Gazan child in the central Gaza Strip, December 2023. (IDF's 646th Brigade)

Hamas will never really be eradicated, so Israel must keep fighting... until more Gazans prioritize their own well-being over Israel's destruction

Dec 7, 2023, 3:56 PM

Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree

The lone oak in Gush Etzion waits for her children to return.

This 1973 pop hit by two Jewish song writers has lent inspiration to political revolutions in the Philippines and Hong Kong; it has brought succor to hostages, hostage families and nations in crisis. The symbol comes from folklore which...

Nov 24, 2023, 9:33 AM

I don’t know

I don’t know. I don’t know if returning 50 hostages for 150 convicted terrorists and a pause in fighting is a good decision. I don’t know. I don’t know when our job in Gaza is finished and how much destruction we...

Nov 16, 2023, 3:18 AM

You are Entitled to Your Opinion, Just Not Here

Vice Chancellor of Germany message on antisemitism.

I noticed a sign up as I drove into the Ontario Science Center this summer. For anyone my age familiar with the Ontario Science Center, the place immediately conjures up feelings of wonder and promise. I am sure the...

Nov 2, 2023, 11:42 PM

It’s all about the children

Jews are not members of a religion – we are a living, breathing, functioning extended family. Judaism is the distilled wisdom that comes from listening attentively to the voice of God that emanates from deep within our collective genetic...

Oct 26, 2023, 6:37 AM

Featured Post

A prayer for the world

Prayer is the most important weapon on the battlefield of ideologies. It unties our tongues, which frees our hearts, and then moves us to righteous action

Oct 19, 2023, 10:48 AM

Fly the flag

Friends and family are asking how to help. Here is what I told them: Fly the flag because it is difficult, and we need to practice doing difficult things. Fly the flag like a cowboy hat on a stick. Poke it...

About Me

David Debow was raised in a sweet Jewish home in suburban Toronto and has always followed a spiritual path. He studied at Yeshiva University, Yeshivat HaMivtar and five years at Yeshivat Har Etzion. He taught in Cleveland, Ohio and has spent the past decade and a half creating and directing Midreshet Emunah v'Omanut - a unique Seminary dedicated to integrating Torah and the Arts. After sending off the final cohort of EVO students at the end of 5782 David spends his time at home, playing with his children and grandchildren while trying to edit Jewish publications for Koren.