Why this Jew likes the Christmas Season I’ve never celebrated Christmas. And yet, I’ve come to increasingly appreciate and look forward to the Christmas season. For a large percentage of Americans, it is one of the two most important holidays (Easter being the other) and it gives me joy to see Christians celebrating. While the holiday has no religious significance for me, when visiting a bank or an office building lobby with a decorated Christmas tree, or seeing neighborhood homes adorned with Christmas lights, it puts us in a festive mood. Hanukkah and Christmas remind us we are to celebrate, even if the public mood is not celebratory. In fact, precisely because these last two years have been difficult, the light of these holidays is all the more needed. In recent decades there’s been a move to minimize public religious expression. Would our country be better off if these weeks were no [...]

The National Basketball Association In yesterday’s Daily Kavanah, I applauded the Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) decision to not compete in China due to the Chinese government’s subjugation of Chinese tennis star, Peng Shuai. While the WTA took a stand, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has continued its work in China despite the heightened Chinese oppression of Hong Kong. In fact, when the Houston Rockets’ general manager, Daryl Morey, tweeted support for Hong Kong anti-government protesters in 2019, the Houston Rockets’ star player, James Harden, apologized to the Chinese explaining “We love playing there… They show us the most support and love…” Recently, the Boston Celtics’ Enis Kanter Freedom has called out Lebron James and Nike for their silence regarding slave labor camps run by the Chinese government. But the NBA continues its multi-billion dollar relationship in China. The Torah frequently reminds us of our obligations to the vulnerable. It is our [...]

Kudos to Women’s Tennis Last month I became a fan of women’s tennis. Here’s why. In November, Chinese Tennis star Peng Shuai alleged that she was sexually assaulted by a top Chinese government official. Shaui wrote that the trauma left her feeling “like a walking corpse.” Since making the allegations, her safety has been in doubt and President Biden and the United Nations have expressed concerns. For weeks she was not seen in public and when she did appear on video and in photos, there were questions about their credibility. To its credit, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has decided, as of now, not to compete in China. Steve Simon, the chairman of WTA insisted that Chinese officials prove Peng is "free and able to speak" and to investigate her charges. Next week, we read in the Torah of the enslavement of Jews by the Egyptians. History records it will be the [...]