News from Middle Tennessee's Jewish Community |
Sunday, July 5, 2026
Among the many different challenges facing contemporary American Judaism, I believe that our biggest threat is related to what we know as Jewish literacy. It is true that antisemitism is on the rise and that assimilation is growing as well. Although we live probably in the best of times to be Jewish and to explore, embrace and expand on our Jewish practice and knowledge, we also live in a world that competes for our relentless attention and, as a consequence of that, we sometimes fail at finding the time to bump up our personal learning.
On any typical day, several calls come into the office at Chabad of Nashville, all with the same question:
Faith-based organizations are often among the first responders to help refugees fleeing their home during war and political upheaval, and the current crisis in Afghanistan is no exception. Perhaps it is because of the over 30 references in the Torah, also referred to as the Old Testament in Christian tradition, to “welcoming the stranger.” We Jews know only too well the pain, fear, and confusion of fleeing our homeland in search of a new more peaceful, secure, and hopeful future for ourselves and our children. The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) which helped welcome, support and acculturate many of our ancestors, now has a religiously diverse staff and network working to resettle refuges of all faiths from around the globe.
