This year’s Jew Crew trip was a great success! We had an amazing time in Montreal. We met over 50 young Jews from Toronto and Montreal, and listened to powerful speakers and musicians at Friday Night Services at Temple Emanu-el-Beth-Shalom in Westmount. We attended Saturday morning services at The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, where some of our kids participated in the service! We did a zip-line across the Saint Lawrence River, and explored Chinatown. We had a beautiful Havdalah service on the roof of our hotel, and explored more of the city at night.

Rabbi Tobie Weisman's Devotional given at the Vermont Senate 4.10.24

Sunday I was walking getting ready to leave the Arava Institute office building at the end of the day. Since the day before the reality of the war has always been there -- sometimes at the forefront and sometimes beneath the surface, but always there. That awareness was hovering in my mind as I was getting ready to collect bottles to fill with water and place in the bomb shelters of the kibbutz should those shelters be needed.

Ki’ Tavo- When you enter