T'ruah

10/15/2026

Rabbi Nina Mandel is one of 75 T’ruah rabbis and cantors (and 750 interfaith leaders) who will serve as a Poll Chaplain on Election Day! Poll Chaplains are volunteers who serve as a calm, nonpartisan presence at polling locations. They help de-escalate tensions, support voters and election workers, document concerns, and ensure that all eligible voters can participate safely and freely in our democracy! Thank you Rabbi Nina H. Mandel and all of our amazing Poll Chaplains with Faiths United to Save Democracy! 🙏🙌

10/15/2026

"We all know that Noah escaped the flood in the ark," writes Rabbi Mike Moskowitz about this week's Torah portion, "but we often forget that he merited being saved because of his desire to improve the working conditions of his generation." In this week's installment of (M)oral Torah, Rabbi Moskowitz teaches that Noah, whose name literally means "relief," showed care for workers. He "constructed tools to help people in working the fields with much greater ease and efficiency. Noah’s technological breakthrough was to work from an internalized, heart-centered place, which consequently produced new tools to express his feelings of benevolence and care. God responded in kind by bringing him into the ark to protect him." Read the full piece for more insights.

We are all meant to be a source of blessing to those around us. When we stop caring about the well-being of others, we deny our own attachment to the true Source of All Blessing and, reluctantly, God reciprocates by withdrawing God’s grace from us.  God’s identity, God’s love language, is int...

10/14/2026

T’ruah joins Jewish Council for Public Affairs and 35 organizations representing religious, racial, ethnic, immigrant, and other communities in warning that recently released FBI hate crime data does not accurately capture the full scope of threats facing communities across the country.

(RNS) — In a statement shared exclusively with RNS, 35 organizations wrote that the decline in hate crimes registered by the FBI isn’t 'synonymous with safety.'

10/14/2026

HOLDING LIAT () by the Kramer Brothers is a must-see, deeply-moving documentary. Now available on , , and . WATCH NOW: holdingliat.com

In the weeks unfolding after Liat is kidnapped, her father resists efforts to use her captivity to justify escalating violence in Gaza, exposing political and emotional rifts within his family as they struggle to find a way to bring her home.

T'ruah rabbis Rachel Timoner, Amichai Lau-Lavie, and Sharon Brous share their thoughts on the power of this film.

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10/14/2026

Since October 7, says historian James Loeffler, American Jews have been focused on holding the line. But in past crises, the community did something bolder: it asked what more could be done to strengthen democracy.

From our conversation last month with James Loeffler (Felix Posen Professor of Modern Jewish History at Johns Hopkins and author of "Exceptional Hatred: Antisemitism and the Fight over Free Speech in Modern America") and Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T'ruah.

10/14/2026

We are appalled. President Trump has targeted Rep. Omar for years, but deploying Homeland Security agents against a sitting member of Congress is a breathtaking new low. Using federal agents to raid the home of the president's political enemies is straight out of the autocrat's playbook. This raid is the latest in the president's disturbing attacks on the Somali, Muslim, and immigrant communities, and on women of color. We stand with Congresswoman Omar.

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10/13/2026

One year ago this week, a ceasefire took effect in Gaza. But the suffering did not end.

10/11/2026

"Let the people vote!"
If you're in the Washington, D.C. area, join us for an interfaith gathering bringing a moral voice in support of free and fair elections. Each Monday, we meet at 12:00 pm in Freedom Plaza. Please register in advance. There will be speakers, singing, community-building and public witness in the lead-up to election day. See you there!

Let the People Vote: A Faith Powered Election Protection Gathering ​ Join us for a weekly faith-based gathering bringing a moral voice in support of free and fair elections. Join Continue Reading »

10/09/2026

We join L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty in "roundly denounc[ing] the announcement of a televised and live-streamed firing squad ex*****on." Cantor Michael Zoosman shares why Jews should be particularly horrified by this decision to televise the ex*****on of Nidal Hasan.
https://buff.ly/quo1kfV

From the blog of Michael Zoosman at The Times of Israel

10/09/2026

Every child has the right to play, learn, and grow in freedom.

In Alexandria, Louisiana, ICE is preparing to take that away. Inside fenced-off former military barracks, ICE is readying a facility to hold immigrant families and children who arrived without a parent until they are put on deportation flights. The facility sits next to the busiest deportation-flight hub in the country. It will be run by an arm of a private prison company.

Last week, Christian and Unitarian Universalist clergy held a vigil outside the fence. The Rev. Robin Tanner prayed for the childhood moments detention will interrupt: "a familiar bedtime, a classroom full of friends, a meal around a family table."

The Torah commands: "Do not subvert the justice due to the stranger or the orphan" (Deuteronomy 24:17). The Torah names the stranger and the orphan together because neither has anyone to defend them. A child who crosses a border alone is utterly vulnerable. The obligation to defend them falls on us.

ALEXANDRIA, La. (RNS and Verite News) — Part of the Trump administration’s efforts to ramp up deportations, the facility — which will hold unaccompanied minors and families — is situated beside an airport that has become known as the country’s busiest hub for deportation flights.