Every Friday, as Shabbat approaches, Rabbi Yoshi offers a message rooted in the wisdom of the parasha or our rabbinic tradition — shared not as ancient history, but as living guidance for the world we’re actually navigating together. Thoughtful, timely, and always accessible, these reflections are a reminder that Torah has something real and generous to say about the moments that matter most.
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, November 14, 2025
Greetings from Israel, where I’m leading a unique interfaith journey of discovery and understanding. This past Wednesday, I spent an inspiring hour with Rabbi Dr. Sharon Shalom, the first Ethiopian-born Jew to become a rabbi in Israel. In addition to serving as the spiritual leader of a congregation in [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, November 7, 2025
This week saw the election in New York City of an unapologetic anti-Zionist, a man who has repeatedly demonized Israel. Leading up to the election, some of my rabbinic colleagues spoke out from the bimah, publicly repudiating Zohran Mamdani. Even some who usually criticize speaking about politics from the [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, October 31, 2025
From Rabbi Yoshi: Reflections from the World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem This past week, I’ve been in Israel as part of the Arzenu delegation to the World Zionist Congress. Together with hundreds of Jews from across the diaspora—and delegates from Israel—we’ve been working to help set priorities for the World Zionist Organization for [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, October 24, 2025
Our congregation bears the name of Rabbi Stephen S. Wise (1874–1949), a remarkable leader who was an inspiration to our founding rabbi, Isaiah Zeldin. One of the reasons Rabbi Zeldin so deeply esteemed Rabbi Wise was his fierce and unwavering devotion to the Zionist movement and the creation of [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, October 17, 2025
It started 26 days after her son was kidnapped from the Nova music festival. Rachel Goldberg-Polin tore a strip of masking tape, wrote a number on it, and pressed it to her chest. The next day she wrote “27,” then “28,” then “29.” She said later she was inspired by her childhood [...]
Shabbat Shalom – Friday, October 10, 2025
This past Tuesday, the Jewish world marked a heartbreaking milestone: two years since that terrible day that changed all of our lives. It was also the first day of the joyous holiday of Sukkot, which made for a powerful juxtaposition. We gathered in our sukkah, in the heart of [...]