Stephen Wise Free Synagogue

05/29/2026

Stephen Wise Free Synagogue Livestream

05/27/2026

"We are the leaders. We must lead. We must be proactive. It is harder now. These are times that try our souls and test our convictions," said Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch in his keynote address to Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism, a two-day conference gathering more than 350 Reform clergy, educators, lay leaders and professionals and Jewish thought leaders at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue. Hirsch spoke about the urgent need for clarity, courage and moral leadership in defending Jewish peoplehood, the dangers of an expanding universalism unmoored from Jewish particularism, and the movement's obligation to ordain only those committed to Reform Zionism.

05/26/2026

Drawing on Broadway’s “Every Brilliant Thing,” the concept of hakarat hatov — “recognizing the good” — and research from the field of positive psychology, Rabbi Dalia Samansky argues that gratitude is not naïve optimism, but rather a practice that strengthens our ability to confront adversity. Reflecting on the importance of finding “slivers of light” even on hard days, she teaches that “by taking time to recognize and acknowledge the good we are actually preparing and enabling ourselves to be able to confront and overcome the bad.”

05/21/2026

In Ghosts of a Holy War, award-winning journalist Yardena Schwartz traces the roots of today’s Israeli-Palestinian conflict back to the 1929 Hebron massacre — a moment she argues still echoes across Israel and the Middle East nearly a century later.

On this episode of In These Times, Yardena joins Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch to discuss disinformation, religious incitement, media narratives and the haunting parallels between 1929 and October 7.

In "Ghosts of a Holy War," award-winning journalist Yardena Schwart...

05/18/2026

05/15/2026

Rabbi Hirsch points out, “Judaism teaches that God placed us in a world of unending challenges. Over and over our tradition reminded us – that - for one reason or another - and for better or for worse - God created the world imperfect - a world that needs improvement.

Our task is to improve ourselves – but not only ourselves.
“If I am not for myself - who will be for me” - the Rabbis taught - “But if I am only for myself - what am I?”

The way to improve is to contend. If we define happiness as the absence of struggle - we will never be happy. Judaism teaches that there is no such thing as a life without struggle - it is an illusion – snake oil.”

Rabbi Hirsch asserts, “the struggle - not the fulfillment - defines us. Our goal is to live in creative tension - our reach constantly exceeding our grasp. Movement - not rest - is the goal of life.”

05/09/2026

Rabbi Tracy Kaplowitz reminds us that “Parashat Behukotai is a world of binaries, good or bad. We, as a people, are either blessed or cursed." Yet, even in periods of fear and uncertainty, Jews are called to reject simplistic despair, deepen their connection to Jewish life and community, and continue growing, creating and believing in the future.

Believe in God, believe in the Jewish past, present and future, and in the global Jewish community. When pressures abound, wars feel imminent, when hatred of our people reaches heights we haven’t seen since the Holocaust, re-center and refocus on resilience. Set goals for your Jewish engagement, for your children and for their children that are seemingly impossible, and then attain them.