Rabbi Mark N. Wildes

Rabbi Mark N. Wildes Rabbi Mark N. Wildes is the Founder of the Manhattan Jewish Experience (MJE). Founded in 1998

09/06/2026

Thomas Sowell is one of the great thinkers of the past century. And his theory for why Jews have attracted so much hatred throughout history is fascinating.

While I’m not convinced antisemitism can ever be explained that rationally, there is one thing I do know: after everything the Jewish people have been through, we keep getting back up, building, creating and bringing more of God’s light into the world. And that’s something we should be proud of.

Am Yisrael Chai. 🇮🇱

09/03/2026

I’m so blessed and ecstatic that my daughter Avigayil is marrying such a mensch, Akiva.

At their engagement, I shared a blessing with them based on the seemingly strange source for how a Jewish couple gets married: Avraham purchasing a burial place for his beloved Sarah.

Mazel tov! ❤️

What happened in Boro Park yesterday bothered me.Zohran Mamdani walks into the heart of one of New York’s largest Jewish...
09/03/2026

What happened in Boro Park yesterday bothered me.

Zohran Mamdani walks into the heart of one of New York’s largest Jewish communities, after everything he has said about Israel, and suddenly there are smiles, gifts, photo ops and a very warm welcome.

Why are we so desperate to make him comfortable?

There’s an old Jewish instinct at work here. We developed it over 2,000 years of exile.

Keep the ruler happy. Build the relationship. Show him we’re good people. Don’t make trouble. Maybe if he likes us, things will be okay. I understand where it comes from but I also think we should know better by now.

And then there’s the other extreme: Mass rallies. Megaphones. Screaming about antisemitism to people who already agree with us, while convincing ourselves that volume equals strength.

The anger is justified. But anger without strategy doesn’t get us very far.

Mordechai understood that. He knew how to work within the system. Esther did too. They were strategic. They understood power. They knew when to speak, how to speak, and who needed to be in the room. And when Haman demanded that Mordechai bow, he didn’t bow.

That’s the balance we need now.

Work within the system. Build better relationships with politicians who share our values. Find and support better candidates. Get better at persuading the undecided.

But most of all, strengthen who we are. That’s really the work of Elul.

A stronger Jewish identity. A deeper connection to Hashem. More Torah. More community. More responsibility for one another.

Because Jews who know who they are don’t need to beg to be liked. And we don’t need to scream to prove we’re strong.

Let’s stand up straight like Mordechai, and like Esther, unite the people under Hashem.

That is the energy we need right now.

For some Jews, the alternative to musical Selichot isn’t traditional Selichot. It’s no Selichot at all.This week, leadin...
09/02/2026

For some Jews, the alternative to musical Selichot isn’t traditional Selichot. It’s no Selichot at all.

This week, leading rabbis in Bnei Brak came out strongly against the growing phenomenon of musical Selichot, concerned that something so serious and sacred is becoming entertainment.

I understand the concern. Selichot isn’t a concert. It’s a serious asking of Hashem for forgiveness. We’re supposed to be looking inward, thinking about what needs to change.

But I’ve spent over 25 years working with Jews who didn’t grow up with any of this. And when you’re doing outreach to the less affiliated or to those raised with Judaism but who are “checked out”there’s another reality you have to think about.

Former Chief Rabbi of Israel Rav David Lau was asked about musical Selichot. He wrote that while the traditional way is preferable, if the music creates greater kisufim l’tefillah — a deeper yearning to pray — it should not be prevented.

Rav Zalman Baruch Melamed, a major Religious-Zionist rosh yeshiva and close student of Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook, was asked by students who said that saying Selichot with a guitar and flute made their prayers more uplifting. His answer was: You can continue.”

To me, that’s the question. What is the music doing?

If it’s turning Selichot into a show, we have a problem. But if it’s helping a Jew who barely knows what Selichot is or someone who knows but has become disinterested, that’s different.

This Saturday night at MJE, after a stirring talk from Sivan Rahav-Meir — named one of the world’s 50 most influential Jews by The Jerusalem Post — young Jews will come together for musical Selichot. 

Some know the words. Many don’t. Some may not have been inside a synagogue in months.

And they’re coming.

They’re going to say Ashamnu. They’re going to hear the 13 Middot. They’re going to ask Hashem for forgiveness and start thinking about the year ahead. Maybe the music helped get them there.

We absolutely have to protect the seriousness of our tradition. But we also have to bring Jews into it.

And sometimes music opens that door.

Come join us at MJE Saturday night. Link to tickets in bio.

09/01/2026

Free speech does not mean freedom to call for violence. Germany gets this one right 🇩🇪

America should follow. 🇺🇸

🇩🇪

There is no such thing as a Jew who is too far gone.I really believe that.Today is Chai Elul - the 18th day of Elul and ...
08/31/2026

There is no such thing as a Jew who is too far gone.

I really believe that.

Today is Chai Elul - the 18th day of Elul and the birthday of the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Hasidic movement.

There is something about his life that has always inspired me: He believed in the Jewish soul.

He had tremendous love for the simple Jew. The Jew who wasn’t learned. The Jew who may not have looked particularly spiritual to anyone else. He saw something there.

The Baal Shem Tov taught that a soul can come down to this world and live 70 or 80 years just to do another Jew a single spiritual favor.

An entire lifetime could be worth it because you helped one Jew get a little closer to Hashem.

I’ve been doing Jewish outreach for more than 25 years, and I’ve seen enough by now to know how little we really know about another person’s soul.

I’ve watched young Jews walk through our doors at MJE with almost no Jewish background. Some hadn’t been in a synagogue in years. Some not sure why they came.

And then something happens. A Shabbat. A class. A trip to Israel. A conversation with someone who believes in them.

Suddenly Judaism isn’t something that belonged to their grandparents. It theirs.

I would never compare myself to the Baal Shem Tov. But this part of his life inspires me tremendously, that we never give up on our fellow Jew. Especially now, during Elul, when we’re thinking about our own return to Hashem, we must remember that the Jew next to us can come home too.

Happy Chai Elul.

08/30/2026

Nearly a million Jews were driven from Arab countries. Abraham Hamra’s family was one of them.

But what happened next is the part we don’t talk about enough.

We got into the difference between Jewish and Palestinian refugees, resilience vs. victimhood, the billions in Jewish property left behind, and Abraham’s own experience growing up Jewish under the Assad regime in Syria.

This was a fascinating conversation. Full episode is up now.

Abraham Hamra - Loud and Proud Syrian Jewish ex-Refugee

08/27/2026

After 27 years working in Jewish outreach, I’ve seen this over and over again. People grow when they feel good about their Judaism.

That’s what I love about the mitzvah of Bikkurim. You bring your first fruits to Jerusalem, thank Hashem, and actually take a moment to recognize what you’ve done right.

Especially in Elul, when we’re all thinking about where we need to improve, don’t forget to look at what you’re already doing. Give yourself some credit. It may be exactly what pushes you to do more.

Shabbat Shalom.

08/25/2026

You literally cannot make this stuff up.

Abraham Hamra - Loud and Proud Syrian Jewish ex-Refugee asked a member of Mayor Mamdani’s antisemitism task force what they’re actually going to do to stop the rising antisemitism that is being fomented by the Mayor and his wife.

His response? “If I say anything, I’ll get fired.”

The people tasked with fighting antisemitism are apparently afraid to speak out against their own boss.

And this NYC story is only a small part of the conversation.

Abraham grew up Jewish in Damascus, was held as a political hostage under Assad, and knows firsthand what it means to be a Middle Eastern Jew. We get into the “colonizer” lie, Syria, Israel, antisemitism, and why resilience matters more than victimhood.

Really powerful conversation. Full episode is up now.

My little girl….Mazel Tov to our daughter Avigayil on her engagement to Akiva Itzkowitz! May they merit to build a bayit...
08/20/2026

My little girl….Mazel Tov to our daughter Avigayil on her engagement to Akiva Itzkowitz! May they merit to build a bayit ne’eman b’yisrael - a beautiful Jewish home!!!

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