Josh Less, at The Blogs

May 9, 2024, 11:52 PM

A Trip to USC, and the Stumbling Block of ‘Genocide’

*The following is a sermon delivered by me on 5/10/24 in El Centro, California for my student internship. 140! 140 is the number of college campuses across the United States that have had Pro-Palestinian encampment protests over the last three...

Nov 4, 2023, 10:30 AM

Hamas: Do You Fear God?

"I thought surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife" (Genesis 20:11). These are the words uttered by Avraham after he is confronted by Avimelech, the king of...

Feb 10, 2022, 9:32 AM

Cancel Culture is Low-Hanging Fruit Compared to China’s Genocide

Why does it feel that the news media is more concerned with who the next person is that's going to be cancelled rather than reporting on a genocide in China? A society that is completely obsessed with de-platforming someone...

Jan 28, 2022, 12:32 AM

The tension between comfort and history

On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, it snowed in Jerusalem. As I peered out of my apartment's window, I could not help but think how beautiful the white snow and the Jerusalem stone go together. In addition to strange weather...

Jan 14, 2021, 2:11 AM

Find your opposite: a response to January 6, 2021

Where does division come from? In a political system that is designed for every voice to be heard, disagreements and divisions are arguably inevitable. The American political system was constructed in this way, whereby each citizen is free to...

Dec 21, 2020, 12:47 AM

The Seed of Education: A Personal Narrative from Small Town Morocco

“But Teacher, it is known that all of those who call themselves Israeli today are just descendants of European colonizers or are colonizers themselves.” I don’t really remember how this conversation started. The topic of Israel and Palestine didn’t...

Nov 16, 2020, 9:59 AM

Let Us Not Walk Away – A Tribute to Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

It is a peculiar feeling to experience sadness when losing someone you have never met. It is a completely regular reaction to have grief from the loss of a loved one. While I am aware of no codified mourning...

Jul 27, 2020, 9:44 AM

Forgiveness During An Era of Cancel Culture

For someone who follows media stories, politics, and general social trends it would not be surprising to hear about someone or some entity getting "cancelled." However for anyone who is unfamiliar with this phenomenon, it is exactly what it...

Jun 8, 2020, 10:27 PM

Shavuot in Our World Today: A Plea For Unity

As the end of the month of May approaches, the usual tick of the calendar which involves end of the year celebrations, summer pool parties, and the NBA playoffs unfortunately isn't in motion. The end of May also indicates...

Jan 6, 2020, 10:58 AM

Examining the Killing of Qasem Soleimani

The big news from this last week was the United States' targeted killing of the Iranian general and commander, Qasem Soleimani. Soleimani was not just your average military personnel, and has been crucial to Iran's military for decades. He...

About Me

Josh Less is a Rabbinical student at the Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles, CA. His interests range from Middle Eastern History and politics to health and nutrition. He is a lover of Torah, hiking, Israel, and music. He studied International Relations with a focus on the Middle East before pursuing the Rabbinate.

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