The current Chief Rabbi of the United Synagogue of Great Britain Jonathan Sacks is set to retire in 2013 and the hunt for a new one is heating up. I have alway agreed with the age of dictum that states, ‘a rabbi is not a job for a good Jewish…
Faith is the key to great leadership
Life can be challenging. This is especially the case if you are trying change the status-quo. Ask any entrepreneur or political leader and they will tell you about the countless setbacks they encounter. In fact, we all face challenges. The question is: how do we deal with them? Do we…
Three Steps of Conflict Resolution
Most of us experience minor ego struggles on an almost daily basis. In conversation we often find ourselves disagreeing although deep down we acknowledge that our interlocutor has made a salient point. For some reason we are resistant to their argument_when this happens one can be sure that the ego…
Is It Really My Money?
Why should one give money to charity? I recently heard someone argue against giving money to those less fortunate saying: ‘I have worked hard for my money and I want to keep it for myself. I work hard to be able to have a nice car, a beautiful home and…
Strauss-Khan, why the mighty fall
As soon as the sordid story involving Dominique Strauss-Khan and the chambermaid at the Sofitel hotel in New York City came to light, friends emailed saying they hoped that Strauss-Khan was not Jewish. Yet, this is not the first high-profile and powerful Jew to be caught up in scandal. The…
Obama can’t stop their hatred
President Barack Obama just gave a major speech on the Middle East. He spoke about the recent Revolutions and the Arab Spring and pledged his support for the demonstrators against the despots. Whilst his comments about the need for the 1967 borders to be the basis of any future peace…
Judaism and Alcohol
Alcohol has always been a part of my life as a Jew. Twice on Shabbat we make Kiddush over a wine and then the Havdala prayer is made over yet another cup of wine. On Passover we drink four cups of wine during the Seder, on Simchat Torah we drink…
The Evil of Repression of Self Expression
My kids were listening to the news about the recent developments in Libya when my nine year old son asked me why people risk their lives to protest against a dictator who brazenly and wantonly kills his own people. Is it anger? Resentment? Frustration? The answer is all of the…
Everyone is Vital to the Community
In the Torah portion this week we read about how the tabernacle was actually built. It is indeed inspiring the way the Torah describes how every one, men and women alike, took pride in the building of their communal centre and place of worship. The children of Israel donated their…
Learn to listen
This week National Public Radio in the United States did a story about how Israel may be heading towards serious civil strife between the Right and the Left. The story quoted professor of political science at Hebrew University Gadi Wolfsfeld, who blamed Netanyahu for potential violence saying, “Once again, he…