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Richard S. Moline

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May 23, 2025, 6:58 AM

What George Wendt taught me about Torah

The death of George Wendt this week reminded me of some teaching and training I’ve done over the years with teachers, camp counselors, and Israel trip staff. Wendt was one of the stars of Cheers, a sitcom that originally...

Jul 25, 2023, 12:49 AM

An update on Kamtza and Bar Kamtza

The potential destruction of Jerusalem came about through Gvir and Ben Gvir in this way: A certain prime minister had a friend named Gvir and an opponent named Ben Gvir. He once proposed a coalition and said to his comrades,...

Apr 16, 2021, 12:27 AM

Happy Birthday, Mom

Today is my mother’s birthday. She died during the intermediate days of Pesach, just sixteen days shy of 93. At 93, you don’t have too many contemporaries left. In her final months, she lamented her dwindling friendship circles and...

Mar 11, 2021, 7:25 AM

Plague and memory

Memories May be beautiful and yet What's too painful to remember We simply choose to forget The Way We Were - - Songwriters: Alan Bergman / Marilyn Bergman / Marvin Hamlisch; Lyrics © Arlovol Music, Colgems-emi Music Inc We often think the act of...

Dec 7, 2020, 11:33 PM

Rudy doesn’t get us, but he’s not alone

In a recent JTA article on Rudy Giuliani’s criticism of George Soros, the former New York City mayor is quoted as saying, “If you are an atheist, if he is, are you universally accepted as Jewish? I don’t know....

May 26, 2020, 7:49 PM

The courage to live with uncertainty

Faith is not certainty. Faith is the courage to live with uncertainty -Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks A colleague joked with me recently that since his kids will now be home for the summer, he was going to build his sukkah...

May 19, 2020, 6:27 AM

Michael Jordan and a monastery in Jericho

I'm guessing I'm not the only one who had a tear in my eye at the conclusion of ESPN's The Last Dance (aired in Israel on Netflix). The Chicago Bulls of the 1990s, and Michael Jordan in particular, were...

May 2, 2020, 5:26 AM

Finding comfort in guilt

One could easily look at the at the overwhelming sadness caused by the cancellation of some Jewish summer camps and think that this is a reaction of the privileged. That these experiences are available to those who live in...

Apr 19, 2020, 7:32 PM

Maybe Elijah can stay a bit longer?

Legend has it that the prophet Elijah will appear to announce the arrival of the Messianic Era (some say the Messiah). On a daily basis, Elijah appears in the blessing after meals (Birkat HaMazon), where we ask God to...

Oct 26, 2018, 12:28 AM

Ramped-up rhetoric

In the days leading up to the 1995 Israeli elections, several politicians participated in rallies where placards depicted then Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin as a Nazi and a murderer. They also marched in a protest featuring a symbolic coffin,...

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About Me

Rich Moline is a Jewish educator, non-profit executive, and volunteer leader living in Chicago.

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