Being Jewish and Inspired

Posted on December 1, 2025December 1, 2025 by Keith Dvorchik

Those who know me, know that I am not the most religiously observant person. While I am very Jewish and have a strong Jewish identity, when it comes to religious observant, I’m on the low end. When my friend asked me to come to services this Shabbat as he was sponsoring the kiddush in memory of his son, I said yes without hesitation. Not because I love services but because friends show up. Instead of my relaxing Saturday morning on the couch, watching College Gameday, rooting for the student to make the field goal and take Pat McAfee’s money, I found myself in synagogue.

I care much more about what goes on inside a synagogue that what the inside looks like in a synagogue. I have been to many that are beautiful inside but I don’t find warm, welcoming, or the service interesting or meaningful. I understand why many people want to invest in making the environment beautiful but I’d much rather see the money go to ensure great clergy, staff, culture. It’s a personal preference.

I note this because I have found that those that are more modest aesthetically tend to be more welcoming and I tend to enjoy what happens in them. As soon as I walked into this synagogue, I felt at home. It was warm, welcoming, and it was clear to me that the investment was being made in what happens inside the rooms rather than the rooms themselves. A number of people welcomed me immediately and the Rabbi, in the middle of the service, walked up to me to welcome me and give me a hug. In a crowded room, they made sure to find me a seat. People came up to say hello and welcome me.

I often find that in Jewish spaces, this type of welcoming doesn’t happen. We want people to come to our events, to be a part of our organizations, and yet we don’t make sure they feel included or special when they do. It was the first time I was at this synagogue and they made me feel right at home. As sombody who doesn’t love services, I found myself enjoying it because of how I was made to feel while there. I enjoyed the loud singing and comraderie that was happening as part of the service. Amazingly, I found myself thinking I would like to go back.

I found myself wondering why we don’t do this more often. We see our synagogues and Jewish organizations struggling with membership and attendance. We also see so many people who want to have a Jewish connection and yet they can’t find one that resonates with them. The old ways, the “Jewish tax”, the mandatory synagogue membership, etc. are no longer applicable. People want to spend their time in a meaningful way and many of them aren’t finding it in Jewish spaces. How do we change this?

There was recently a study about the shortage of people enrolling in Rabbinic School. In the study, they found an incredible diversity of those who enrolled. 58% identify as women, 30% as men, and 12% as nonbinary with an estimated 51% identify as LGBTQ. It’s amazing to see how the field has changed in the past decade or so. There was a big outrage by some about the high percentage being LGTBQ and women Rabbinic students, as if that was a problem. Perhaps to some it is. The bigger concern to me is about the overall number of people enrolling in Rabbinic school and the Rabbis that are graduating. I am a firm believer that the Rabbi is the key to the success of a synagogue. When the Rabbi is inspiring, the synagogue tends to flourish. People want to learn from somebody who inspires them. People want to spend time around those who inspire them. Rather than focus on the sexuality or gender of those in Rabbinic school, perhaps we should be asking ourselves why we aren’t recruiting the best, inspirational people to be our clergy?

At the synagogue I attended this Shabbat, the Rabbi was engaging. He was teaching us torah in between each aliyah. He was funny. He was engaging. I learned something new and applicable to my life each time he taught during the service. It made me want to learn more with him. It made me want to go back. He was inspiring. Our leaders, particularly our clergy, need to be inspiring. What are we doing to ensure we have inspiring clergy? Where are we failing? How will we address it?

One of my favorite clergy members is Cantor Azi Schwartz from Park Avenue Synagogue. He does amazing work putting classic Jewish prayers and songs to contemporary music. His version of Hallelujah set to Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run at Rosh Hashanah this year is outstanding. I’ve listened to it more than a dozen times.

His version of Adon Olam set to the music of the Broadway show Hamilton has over 1.2 million views on Youtube. I don’t get tired of listening to it and signing along. He inspires and I look forward to seeing and hearing what he will do next. When the streaming services from Park Ave Synagogue come on, I watch because I know it’s going to be special and meaningful.

When the Broadway show Wicked (one of my personal favorites) came out as a movie last year, Cantor Azi and Cantor Mira Davis were ready with a new version of Adon Olam set to the music from Wicked. It’s fun to listen to, to sing along with. There is very little Jewish music that I want to sing along with yet Cantor Azi has multiple versions of Jewish prayer that he has inspired me to listen to for fun and to sing along with.

As I was writing this and looking at the things Cantor Azi has done, I even found new ones. Adon Olam set to Born in the USA. I quickly began to sing along, tapping my feet, clapping my hands, and thoroughly enjoying myself. I found a version of Mi Chamocha set to Taylor Swift. That’s inspiration. Oseh Shalom to the tune of Shallow.

Not everybody has to be Cantor Azi. There are many ways to inspire. There are many ways to be welcoming and engaging. It takes effort. The payoff is worth it, both for the Jewish people as a whole and for each of us individually.

I’ve been lucky to work with and learn with many inspiring Rabbis. My childhood Rabbi, Jeffrey Wohlberg (always my image of a Rabbi) set a great example for me. Rabbis David Kaiman, Andy Koren, Yoni Kaiser-Blueth, Aaron Alexander, Dave Baum, Jonathan Siger, Yonah Schiller, Gail Swedrow, Chaim Albert, Jill Borodin, Randy Brown, Gabi Gittleson, Herb Tobin, Dovid Yachnes, Ari Federgrun, Ben Hassan, Danny Weiner, Josh Broide, Mark Kram, Efrem Goldberg, Irving “Yitz” Greenberg, Ed Rosenthal, Joseph Telushkin, Daniel Wolnerman, Darren Kleinberg, Mayer Abramowitz (z’l), Steve Engel, Neil Zuckerman, Jeremy Barras, Jonah Zinn, and Amram Hoffer are just a microcosm of the Rabbis who have impacted me. While the number of Cantors who have impacted me are smaller, I can’t leave out Cantors Lisa Segal, Rachelle Nelson, Mitch Martin (my Bar Mitzvah Cantor who I still keep in touch with today) who are incredibly inspiring. Perhaps I am spoiled by these amazing Rabbis and Cantors so I have set the bar too high. I don’t think so. Their excellence has showed me what is possible.

As a people, we need to invest whatever it takes to ensure we have excellent clergy. We need to do invest in ensuring we are a welcoming community. We need to invite those who show up into our community. When I was in Hebron a few years ago, our guide pointed to the parking lot and said to us, “This is where Abraham, recently self-circumsized, greeted the strangers and washed their feet.” (the the three angels). I think that if Abraham, at that point in time, would get up to welcome the stranger, who am I not to do the same?

As I finish writing and prepare to return to Israel in 2 days, I want to leave you with Cantor Azi and his Taylor Swift cover. As he sings, “We are never going back to Egypt again” think about what you are willing to do to ensure you are never enslaved again – mentally, physically, or spiritually. Think about what youwill do to find a way to make being Jewish interesting and fun. Ask yourself what it would take for you to want to be involved? To get your family involved? To make sure Judaism has an important part in your life, no matter how religious you may or may not be. No matter how much you may like or not particularly like religious services. No matter how you define being Jewish. Because at the end of the day, we are all Jewish so lets figure it out together.

Hope inspired in the barbershop

Posted on January 30, 2025 by Keith Dvorchik

I went to get my hair cut and beard trimmed yesterday. I’ve gone to the same barbershop since we moved to Central Florida. It is a true, old school barbershop. What makes it a little unique is that it is a Latin barbershop. Most of the people working there do not speak much English. The owner, Gomez, does and he usually cuts my hair now. My previously guy, who was great, didn’t speak English so we communicated with pictures and hand guestures, unfortunately left.

It is a barbershop with an interesting history. When we began going there in 2016, it was in a different location than it is now. A year or so into going there, there was a major gang shooting there leaving one barber dead and a few injured. It closed for a few months and then reopened. I never thought of going anywhere else. Maybe that says more about me in many ways than anything else. I wasn’t going to be afraid and I wanted to continue supporting this small business where I had become friendly with the owner. They added a buzzer to be let in, tinted the windows, and business went on as usual. A few years later, the land was sold and they had to move. The new location is a little further away, in a little sketchier area, but once again, I wasn’t going to stop supporting the business.

When I went yesterday, the only person working was a young barber that I had never met before. He didn’t speak English so I showed him a picture of what I wanted and we managed to figure things out. He cut my hair and we didn’t talk because of the language barrier. As we got near the end of the haircut, he took out the straight razor to get the close shave and make things look good. A man I don’t know, where we have a language barrier, has a razor to my neck, and I’m laying back with my eyes closed. I began to think about what it would take for an Israeli Jew to get into a barber chair and let a Palestinian Arab not just give them a haircut with sharp scissors but then take a straight razor to their neck. It was something that I no longer could imagine. Prior to October 7th, I could imagine places in Israel where relationships between Jews and Arabs are good where this could happen. Today, I can’t fathom it.

The buzzer rang and two teenage latin boys came into the barbershop. The conversation was all in Spanish. I had no idea what they were saying and the barber had the straight razor on my neck. I tried to imagine two Arab teens coming into an Arab barbershop, speaking to the Arab barber in Arabic, with a Jewish Israeli who doesn’t speak Arabic in the chair, a straight razor on their neck. Again, it was incomprehensible. How can something be so absolutely incomprehensible in one place that is so easily done in another? What is the difference that makes that happen? How do we change the reality?

It comes down to hate. The terrorists hate the Jews. They want them all dead. They hate the Christians, Druze, and even the Arabs who work with the Jews. There is no compromise. There is no opportunity for commonality. When there isn’t hate, there is opportunity. I saw it myself in 2019 when I spent 4 days meeting with leaders of Palestinian civil society. Those who lived in hate gave me no hope, made me angry and frustrated. Those who chose not to live in hate gave me lots of hope and made me want to do better. When I was in Israel in May, I walked from Ben Yehuda Street through East Jerusalem to the American Colony Hotel. I walked through Arab neighborhoods, past Arab schools getting out for the day, passed by Arabs on the street. I met my friend who owns the bookstore at the American Colony Hotel and we spent 90 minutes talking about October 7th, the hope for peace, if the 2 state solution was dead, Hamas, hostages, and much more. It was a thoughtful and insightful conversation. I didn’t agree with everything he said and he didn’t agree with everything I said, but we had a great dialogue. It gave me hope. In September while doing work with Dror Israel, a client of mine, we went to visit their youth movement, Hanoar Haoved, in Ein Mahil, an Arab village. This is an Israeli, Zionistic Youth Movement that is in EVERY Druze Village in Israel along with 55 ARAB VILLAGES with over 20,000 Arab children involved. The Mayor of Ein Mahil came to speak with us because he enrolled his daughters in Hanoar Haoved. We spoke to leaders of the movement in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, Arabs who grew up in the movement and have dedicated their lives to it. We met with children in the youth movement and it was beautiful. Throughout the time at Ein Mahil and ever since, this has given me hope.

***In Ein Mahel with the leaders and children of Hanoar Haoved.***

Israel is a different place today than it was on October 6, 2023. The hostages remain front and center in our hearts and minds. The IDF soldiers, risking their lives every day, are in my thoughts. My friends who are serving or who’s children are serving in the IDF, the families dealing with the challenges of having their mother and/or father away for long stretches of time due to milium (reserve duty). One of the people I met in September was from Kibbutz Nir Oz. He lost his mother and father on October 7th although he didn’t know his father was murdered for a few weeks and didn’t know his mother was murdered until July 2024 when they found her body in Gaza. I thought of him today as hostages Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes were released from Gaza. Both are from Kibbutz Nir Oz, a small kibbutz of 380 people on October 7th. I can’t imagine the way he is feeling, watching them come home. I can’t imagine the emotions he has thinking of his parents, who were murdered after being taken hostage, and his friends and neighbors, who were also taken, finally coming home after 482 days of captivity.

The Unites States and the world are different since October 7th as well. Antisemitism is on the rise and we see violence against Jews and Jewish organizations and buildings. It is often times hard to find hope. It often feels that where we are and where we are heading is hopeless. We cannot allow that to be our reality. Without hope we are lost. I think of two different quotes about hope from two remarkable people. Anne Frank wrote, “I don’t think of all the misery, but of the beauty that remains”. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope”. In these challenging times, I think of their words and of my 4 days in 2019, my meeting with my friend in May in East Jerusalem, and the visit to Ein Mahil in September to give me hope for a better future. I refuse to be lost so I will continue to find hope.

Four more home and more inspiration

Posted on January 25, 2025 by Keith Dvorchik

Four more hostages returned home on Saturday. Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag, all members of the Israeli Defense Forces, were released from captivity in Gaza by Hamas after 477 days. They were released early in the morning Eastern Time, so when I woke up, they were already out of Gaza.

***L: Daniella Gilboa, Karina Ariev, Liri Albag, Naama Levy***

When I watched the video of their release, I was horrified. Hamas held a parade to show them off to a cheering crowd. The video clearly shows the support of Hamas and of terrorists who brutally murdered 1,200 people on October 7th and kidnapped another 251 people. It’s more proof of the lies told by the media, the ICC, and the world. There is something very wrong about giving gift bags and certificates to people you have brutally kidnapped and held for 477 days.

The Hamas parading of the 4 hostages to a celebratory crowd in Gaza.

I anxiously awaited the videos and pictures of them reuniting with their families. Last week, those videos were incredibly emotional and both broke and warmed my heart at the same time. Thinking of those who will never come home alive, thinking of those still in captivity, and thinking of what nearly 500 days of captivity would do to a person.

The pictures and videos were amazing. They brought tears to my eyes. It reminded me why Israel made such a terrible deal. 200 terrorists and murderers went free to bring these 4 women home. A terrible deal. And worth it. When I looked at their faces, the faces of their family members, and listed to the sounds of their squeals of delight, it was an insight into the values of Judaism. Life. Family. Love. Perserverance. Humanity.

Naama Levy greeting her family

Daniella Gilboa with her family

Karina Ariev meeting her family

Liri Albag with her family

I’m not sure how any human being can watch these videos and not smile and have tears in their eyes. We’ve seen the brutality of Hamas on October 7th. We’ve seen them murder hostages. They kept these 4 women in captivity for 477 days. An incredible number of days. The hostages in Iran were held for 444 days in much better conditions.

I can understand how these women could be bitter and angry. How they could be filled with resentment. I would expect they would want privacy with the families and loved ones. Amazingly, I would be wrong. Last week we saw the amazing Emily Damari, who lost two fingers on her left hand, inspire us with her bravery and smile. The story of how she tried to get Hamas to release her friend’s father, Keith Siegel, instead of herself, is an epic exhibition of selflessness. This week we got the story of Liri Albag, now 19 years old, send the world a message of love. She has every right to be angry. She has every reason to hate the world that allowed her to remain in captivity for 477 days. Instead, she sent a message of love.

I was astounded as I watched it. Her smile. The heart symbol at the end. Extraordinary. How does somebody come out of 477 days of captivity at 19 years of age with this type of attitude? How much gratitude for her family and for life must she have?

As the day went on, we learned more about their 477 days of captivity. They were used as domestic slaves, often given no food and not allowed to bathe or have any personal hygiene. They were kept in civilians’ home for a good amount of time. Civilians who harbor and hide hostages are not civilians. They are complicit and combatants. As the media decries attacks on civilians, it’s important that we remind them that these ‘civilians‘ are anything but innocent. They were part of the looting after the attacks on October 7th and they helped hide hostages. When the UN or the ICC makes their absurd claims, we have proof that they are lies.

Later in the day, word came out that a member of the Israeli Health Ministry said that the released hostages are in an “emotionally and medically complex” situation. None of us know what that means but it hurts to the core of our hearts. These brave women clearly faced things that are unimaginable. Yet the had brave faces for the world. She wanted to show strength and love in public. We can only pray for their full recovery, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

To summarize what we know about Hamas and these hostages on the day of their release:

They were held together in captivity along with Agam Berger, who remains in Gaza, and were separated from her just days ago.

In the first days of captivity, an elderly hostage helped ensure they had food and were able to shower. They were able to share that he was killed in captivity.

There were periods when there was no food and they were starved

The girls were held both in civilian apartments and in Hamas tunnels

They were disguised as Arab women when moved from place to place

They were able to see some news, mostly to Al Jazeera, and learned to speak Arabic

When they spoke about Hamas’ “release ceremony,” they said, “We showed them on the stage that it did not bother us. We are stronger than that.” Now we all say a mishaberach (prayer for healing) for them to have a full recovery.

The other topic of the day is the Bibas family. They are on the list to be released but have not yet been included. This beautiful family with two beautiful babies were taken hostage on October 7th. We don’t know if they are alive or not. We know that they have a deep meaning to us all. We need them to be alive. We need them to be ok. We need them to come home. If they aren’t alive, I am concerned about what the Jewish world will demand as a pound of flesh for their murders. Kidnapping a 9 month old and a 4 year old is bad enough. Murdering them is unforgivable. If they come home dead, I’m concerned that I will feel like I did at Kfar Aza while I watched and listened to Israel bomb Jabaliya, less than a mile away. In May, that was the only time I felt any relief at Kfar Aza, when the bombs were dropped and exploded. Listening and seeing buildings collapse. It’s not who I am but it is who I was in that moment. The murder of the Bibas family may be that way for not just me but many others. All we can do is pray and hope. All we can do is wait for Hamas to send them home.

***The Bibas family – 2 beautiful babies and their parents taken hostage***

It is hard to believe that we will go through this same emotional rollercoaster every week for another 5 weeks in this first stage of the ceasefire. 33 hostages will come home over a 7 week, painful period. Hamas wants us to feel the pain. Hamas wants us to agonize. We will. But we can also look at the videos of the released hostages. We look at the images of their reunification with their familes and see the love and gift of life. Their hope and their spirit can get us through this. After nearly 500 days in captivity, the three girls released last week and four girls released this week will continue to give to us. It feels selfish but somehow, I think they would disagree and would understand and appreciate our pain.

I will use this picture of Naama Levy reuniting with her parents. Naama, who’s kidnapping was one of the most seen videos from October 7th. Naama, who we begged to come home and now is. When I look at this picture, it reminds me of a picture I have with my dad, one from my older son’s bar-mitzvah, when we were both filled with joy, happiness, gratitude, and awe. Just like the Levy family who got their precious daughter back alive.

Pink inspires – a true Jewish message in her show

Posted on November 19, 2024 by Keith Dvorchik

Last night I went to see the Jewish musical star Pink in concert. I bought tickets a long time ago and heard that she was a tremendous performer. I like her music, although I’m far from a rabid fan. With Sheryl Crow opening, I was excited for the show.

Sheryl Crow was awesome. She brought me back in time with her classic songs and while the show was in a stadium, I wish she was in a smokey crowded bar where you could really feel and appreciate her music. I enjoyed her performance as it brought me back to simpler times.

Then it was time for the main event. Pink was electric from the very beginning. Her energy and joy filled the stadium with positivity. Since October 7th, over a year ago, I’ve had a hard time truly letting go and embracing joy. Last night, Pink unlocked that for me. What a performer. She exuded happiness. Love flew from every song and every time she talked to us. Her very first song set the tone – watch and listen as she bounces with joy and flies effortlessly.

Her flying early in the show was beautiful. The music was great and she added elegance and beauty. The past 12 plus months have been filled with so much ugliness. October 7th and those images never leave me. I’m glad that I saw the Hamas 47 minute video but it altered who I am. I am glad that I have been to the Nova site twice, heard from survivors, and those involved with rescuing people that day, but the horror is now a part of me. I’m glad that I went to Kfar Aza twice, heard the stories from the IDF and from somebody who was there that day and recently returned to their home. I’m glad that I saw what the Hamas terrorists did but those images are burned into my soul. Last night, as she performed, it was the first time since October 7th that the only thing in my mind, heart, and soul was beauty and love.

Her cover of Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker” got us up, singing and dancing. I was transformed to the early 80s and my high school days. To simpler times. A time when hate didn’t dominate the world. When we didn’t see daily antisemitism and Jew hatred. Violence against Jews wasn’t happening on the streets of Amsterdam, Paris, New York, Chicago, and so many other places. I thought of my diverse group of friends from that time – we didn’t think about identity politics or our differences – we focused on the people we liked. So many of them are still friends today. Jewish, Christian, Mormon, Black, White, Gay, and Straight. We played sports together, went to parties together, hung out on the streets together, went to concerts together, and got in trouble together. I miss the simpleness of those times. The moral clarity that existed for us in high school and then college. Enjoy the song and performance, I sure did.

I wish that I recorded Pink as she talked to, and about, her mother and their relationship. Her mom was in the front row and it was a classic Jewish mother moment. We all laughed but I think those of us who have Jewish mothers laughed a little deeper as she talked about her mom telling her what to do and then watching her mom actually do it from the audience and Pink listening to her and then begging her to stop. When she talked about her late father, it hit home deeply for me. It brought me right back to my dad and the relationship we had. It made me sad and joyous at the same time. While I don’t know her, never met her, and have no personal relationship, I know we bonded over the loss of our fathers. Then she brought her daughter on stage to sing part of a song with her. What a highlight. I enjoyed watching Pink’s face more than anything else as she listened and watched her daughter Willow sing. As a father, there is nothing better than seeing my children succeed. Their joy and success is so much better and more powerful than my own. I could see that on Pink’s face and it reinforced my committment to do whatever I can to make this world a better place for my children and eventual grandchildren. There is no excuse for us to sit back and not do the work. Not put in the effort. We are not responsible for the outcome but we are each responsible for doing the work. That’s a summary from Pirkei Avot, the Ethics of our Fathers. It shows that anybody can learn and even teach a little Torah.

The show ended with an incredible encore where Pink literally flies across the stadium. The freedom in the song and as she flies is so clear. It’s a reminder that we control how we feel. We control whether we want to be tied down, locked up, bitter and angry, or if we want to be free, flying through the air, looking for the beauty and enjoying what the world offers. It takes effort to do it, but the power to live meaningful and beautiful lives is entirely in our own hands. The question is are you willing to do the work? Watch Pink fly and sing – see and feel the freedom. As the movie version of Wicked is about to be released, watch Pink defy gravity. Sorry I lose her for a bit but you get to see the audience during that time and feel the energy.

Pink inspired me last night It shows that you don’t have to truly be a torah scholar to inspire people with Torah values. It also shows how learning some Torah can help you see Jewish wisdom in every day life.

My friend Yocheved Ruttenberg is another real example of this. Founder of the Sword of Iron Facebook group with 40,000 members all interested in volunteering in Israel, her story as a 23 year old changing the world is inspiring. She recently won the Z3 Bridge Builder award. Her speech highlights her story and what she has done and what she is doing. It is inspiring.

The joy Yocheved brings to the 40,000 members of Sword of Iron is incredible. I read the posts of people volunteering in Israel and sharing their pictures doing it. I read about all the amazing volunteer opportunities and am astounded and inspired. It makes me wish I was independently wealthy and could just go and volunteer full time in Israel. From picking fruits and vegetables to helping rebuild in the south. Preparing BBQs for IDF soldiers to making tzizit for them. Helping those in need in every aspect of society. All done with gratitude. All done with grace. All done from the heart. All for our Jewish brothers and sisters who are fighting for the survival of the Jewish people. If you really want to experience the joy of Yocheved and her work, watch this Shabbat Shalom video. I can’t get enough of it. I dare you to only watch it once. It’s infectious.

There are so many ways to change the world and the world needs changing. You can do it through music. You can do it with volunteering. You can do it by helping others. A friend of mine who made aliyah years ago reached out today. He and his family will be in the United States to get away for a much needed respite in December. They will be in Florida for part of their trip and like my family, love sports and wanted to go to the Orlando Magic game for Jewish Heritage Night. They were having trouble getting tickets and asked for my help. Quickly, I was able to secure tickets for him in the block at an affordable price. I then reached out to a friend to see if they can help with some VIP experiences for their children. After the year that they have experienced, the least I can do is try to help them have some peace and joy. Just like Pink gave me last night, I can help them have a few moments of joy where they aren’t worried about sirens, they aren’t worried about rockets, they aren’t worried about friends in the IDF and if they are alive or not. They can be kids, enjoying a basketball game and maybe getting some special access. It didn’t take much for me to help. A little research. A few text messages. It did take effort but not much. Often times we don’t realize how easy it can be to make a difference in the lives of others. How we can give a little bit of life and levity to those in need.

I work with Dror Israel, and amazing organization that helps children with schools, youth groups, and summer camps. Their ZIONIST youth movement is in all the Druze villages and in 55 Arab villages with more than 20,000 Arabs involved. They do amazing work. In this same context, they are creating restorative trips for children and families to get away from areas with sirens, to go to Mitzpe Ramon (Israel’s version of the Grand Canyon). This short video highlights what they do and what the effect and impact is. They are changing the lives of these children and families and changing the world.

We have the ability to change the world with our own actions. Pink gave me a few hours of pure joy like I haven’t had since October 7th. Here is the question I pose to you. What are you going to do to find your joy. To find your stress relief? And what are you going to do to help others who are in need and can’t do it themselves? We all have that responsibility. It is Kol Yisrael Arevim zeh Bazeh (All of Israel is responsible for each other). Jewish or not, we can be inspired by this lesson. Each of us can change the world, one person at a time, one action at a time.

Let’s all choose to be like Pink, who electrified and inspired 75,000 people last night. Who sent a message of love, inclusion, support, family, and values. The movie The Waterboy puts it best. You can do it!

Creativity throughout Israel

Posted on September 21, 2024September 22, 2024 by Keith Dvorchik

I spent this week in Israel with one of my clients, Dror Israel. Dror works with youth in schools, afterschool programs, youth group, and summer camps. It was an amazing four days that both inspired me further with the work they do and also challenged me to ask why we can’t replicate it here in the US. At a time when it’s clear that we have lousy leadership throughout our organizations, local, state, and federal governments, and internationally, why can’t we look to a different model that not only inspires leadership but teaches it. That not only values the individual but also the group. That has proven to work across diverse groups of people. What stops us from actually doing better?

***Gary (Dror Israel), me, Irit, Marc, and Michael. My partners and I had an incredible experience with Dror Israel last week.***

Here is a great example of what we saw in Israel with a Dror school in Ravid. The students wanted to have a music room. There were two challenges to adding a music room. There was no existing room that could be repurposed for a music room and while there was plenty of room to build a music room, there was no money to build a new music room. Simple, right? In America, this would mean there would simply be no music room. Two good reasons, a lack of creativity to figure out a solution, so the answer is simply ‘no’. Not with a Dror school!

The students wanted the music room so they had to figure out a solution. And figure it out they did! They learned that there were old shuttle buses that used to take people from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 at Ben Gurion airport that no longer worked. They learned that if they could get one of the shuttle buses to the school, they could have the bus for free. The school has a maker space where they use 3D printing and computer software to design things build in a mdoern ‘wood shop’. What did the students do? They used their technology and what they had available to them to make their own drum set! Problem solved. Solution achieved. There is now an amazing music room, housed in the old shuttle bus, that students use all the time. Imagine if our students, leaders, government, etc. used this type of thinking. Imagine if they were empowered to find solutions to our problems

***The old shuttle bus that is now a music room. Pretty ingenious.***

***Inside the music room/old shuttle bus***

***The drum set was made by students on campus using their technology. What a great space!***

I would love to do something like this at my house to make an art studio for my wife. Put in some air conditioning and she’d have exactly what she wants without having to lose a bedroom in the house, without having to convert our garage and lose that space. Without having to deal with permits and zoning. If you ever see an old bus in my driveway, you will know that I was inspired by the High School students of Ravid and that it is an art studio, not a bus!!

We have so many children struggling in school in the United States and no solutions for them. This was before Covid closed schools for up to 2 years and made it even worse. I was proud when my younger son decided to stay home and go to Community College where he could learn to wake up, do homework, study, and get back into the learning mode without the stress of going away to college. He graduated with his AA Magna Cum Laude and now that he is at a traditional 4-year University, he is doing outstanding academically. He was the minority who made that non-traditional decision. Our education system doesn’t encourage creative thinking or solutions. It doesn’t encourage learning, it is based on test scores.

The Dror schools are based on a different philosophy. Teachers are encouraged to engage students where they are. They are required to listen and learn from their students. They get to know their students as people, not just as test scores. While everybody at Dror is an educator, they play different roles. Listening to those in the classroom talk about their students was enlightening. They knew about their home life. Those who struggled to get to school regularly would get phone calls from their educators every morning to make sure they were awake and coming to school. They call them educators instead of teachers because that’s what they are doing. Educating. Not teaching to a test. Not teaching things to regurgitate on a test when you can simply find the information on your phone when you need it. They are educating them for life. Showing them how to treat people, how to invest in people and relationships. How to succeed in life, not on an exam.

At the school in Ravid, we saw some incredible, creative ways to encourage learning. They have a stable for horses and teach riding. It’s not just riding though. The students are required to do everything for the stables. They get up early to feed the horses. They clean the stables. They rub down the horses. It’s not just a class on horseback riding. It’s a class on life, responsibility, and committment. They teach that joy comes with work. We met Tamar, a wonderful 16 year old young woman there, 16 year. She shared her story with us. She was struggling at a regular school. Nobody paid attention to her. She was lost. She spent too much time out late doing things she ‘shouldn’t have been doing.’ At the Dror school in Ravid, the teachers paid attention to her. She said, “when I need to, I can get up, leave class, smoke a cigarette, and then come back.” Hearing her love for the school and for learning was exciting. She loved the horses but that wasn’t what she wanted to focus on. She told us her goal was to get her certificate in dog training. The school doesn’t just have stables and horses. They have a kennel and an entire dog training curriculum. For those who love animals, they can get a real education in this school and leave with a trade to ensure they have a successful life. Imagine education focused on that instead of test scores to get you into college to get a degree that you can’t find a job with.

We see this type of thinking in Israel all the time. Tel Aviv was an empty beach 115 years ago. Now it’s a thriving city and one of the world centers of technology and innovation.

***A picture of the founding to Tel Aviv. That sand is now a bustling city.***

Israel, an agricultural country just 40 years ago, became known as start-up nation in the 2000s. Computer chips, instant messaging and SMS technology, along with medical innovations and much more all come from Israel. Massive use of desalinization to create drinkable water and water for irrigation is Israel. Drip irrigation is Israel.

Warren Buffet famously said, “If you are looking for brains, energy and dynamism in the Middle East, Israel is the only place you need to go.”

He also said, “In industries ranging from software to textiles, Israelis have shown that they have a special genius for devising creative solutions to problems.”

My final Warren Buffet quote is, “Israel has created a miracle in the desert. It is a miracle of creativity and innovation.

Each of these quotes reinforces what the Dror educational model in Israel does. Creative. Innovation. Solutions. Genius. Brains. Energy. Dynamism. Inspired to use their minds to find solutions. To analyze the situation and be creative to find a resolution.

Faced with 150,000 rockets in the north with the Iran proxy Hezbollah threatening, Israel had a real issue to deal with. This was not Hamas with far fewer rockets and far inferior weapons. This was an existential threat. How did Israel address this? On September 17th, the beepers that Hezbollah was using went off and then exploded, killing, injuring, and maiming thousands of terrorists. The next day, the walkie talkies they switched to exploded, killing, injuring and maiming even more terrorists. Their communications network destroyed, their leaders injured, Hezbollah was weakened. Israel targeted their leadership and eliminated them.

Truly weakened, Israel moved in. They began bombing the Hezbollah military sites where these rockets and the rocket launchers were kept. They destroyed rockets and rocket launchers, limiting what Hezbollah can do to attack them.

This doesn’t mean that Hezbollah can’t attack Israel, they can and have. The area around Haifa is under attack tonight however as big as it is, it could have been worse. They still have plenty of rockets. They are now limited. Hezbollah’s main target tonight was the Ramat David air base, where most of the Israeli jets flying into Lebanon have been based. Half of the rockets were intercepted, some direct hits in Nazareth, but no injuries reported thus far. Ramat David air base was not harmed. Israel used creativity, innovation, genius, and boldness to find a solution to the massive amount of rockets on her northern border.

***Rockets launched at Israel late Saturday night, early Sunday morning on September 21-22.***

To give you context, I was in Acre (Akko), Karmiel, and that area just a few days ago. I was in Nazareth, where this video was taken. Israel isn’t a big country and needs to use their creativity and innovation to stay alive.

Nazareth after Hezbollah rocket attacks tonight

I started by writing about the creative way students got a music room and ended with the creative way that Israel reduced the threat. It is all about creativity and encouraging the use of minds to find solutions. Despite the rockets falling in Israel tonight, Israelis remain undeterred. They know there is a solution for everything when they put their mind to it. This video was from Nazareth, the same place as the fire above, after the rockets fell.

Am Yisrael Chai

Whine and Dine

Posted on August 12, 2024 by Keith Dvorchik

Every so often I read something that I think needs to be shared. In these crazy times, I wanted to share this piece by Norman Leonard. He has a substack where he writes weekly about funny/ironic things.

This is a story he wrote for his kids a long time ago. It’s in the style of Shel Silverstein, and he got a little playful with it, sketching out some moments. Besides being a great read, it reminds up that no matter what, we should be grateful. Like the prayer, “Thank you for letting the rooster know the difference between day and night” reminds us, we can be grateful for every day we have.

It’s the kind of story I would have read to my kids when they were young because it’s funny, a bit scary, and teaches a lesson. It’s kind of like the classic book, Go the F*** to Sleep, read by Samuel L. Jackson that had my wife and I laughing out loud (I don’t think we actually ever read it or played it for our kids until they were MUCH older). If you haven’t heard it and are not offended by the vulgarity, it’s a true classic.

Here is the piece by Norman Leonard.

In my travels, I’ve been many places,

Done many things, seen many faces.

There was one town I visited, not too long ago—

I thought it was normal. Turns out, it only seemed so.

It looked like a lot of other towns I knew

With lots of boys and girls, many just like you.

But this town had a secret and, no, not the fun clubhouse kind.

This secret was a whopper—scared one third-grader right out of his mind.

The town had a monster who lived here and there,

A monster who could be lurking anytime, anywhere.

He hunted small children, specifically ones who would whine,

And he boiled them in his pot, often with garlic and brine.

The whining, it had been hypothesized…

Well… it made the kids tasty, made them tenderized.

One summer night, a first-grader began to whine and to pout,

When the monster heard, he prepped a stew with worms and sauerkraut.

As the first grader’s whining hit an all-time high,

The monster added to his stew some six-year-old thigh.

Later that week, another kid was devoured.

It wasn’t too long after her attitude had soured.

And that wasn’t the last kid. Not a chance. Nope, nope, nope!

The monster picked off more who would whine, gripe and mope.

The town parents loved their children and didn’t want them eaten.

Not by monster, not by ghost, not by fiend, freak, or cretin.

So they hired a wise woman, an old mother of the earth,

Smiling and warm, an ancient matriarch of mirth.

And it didn’t take her long to identify the trend

That was bringing the children to a gastronomic end.

She observed the complaining and noted the whiny appeals

That turned kids into ingredients for the monster’s savory meals.

And so the wise woman made a groundbreaking suggestion

To keep kids from being part of the monster’s digestion.

She proposed that every whiny, belly-aching attitude

Be replaced by super-duper enthusiastic gratitude.

Be thankful for parents, friends and siblings, too.

Be thankful for a silly joke on days you feel blue.

Be grateful for medicine and vegetables, all those things that make you say “yuck.”

Be grateful for every time you were stumped, bested, or stuck.

Be grateful for what you have, grateful for what you don’t.

If you are, you won’t get eaten. It’s true! You really won’t.

Well, the kids took her advice and the whining stopped turkey-cold.

The kids practiced gratitude, practiced just like they were told.

They were thankful everyday, appreciative every night,

And soon enough that hungry monster lost its appetite.

The monster in that town was never seen again.

And the kids cried, “Hallelujah, baby! Amen, amen, amen!”

Now, you might be grateful, too, that this monster was run out,

But don’t think you’re safe to whine—it still might be about.

No, not in that town—perhaps in yours—monsters are known to stray.

So swap that whining for gratitude and keep that monster appetite away.

If you enjoyed this and want to subscribe to his substack, you can sign up for the free or paid version here

More thoughts and inspiration from Israel

Posted on May 29, 2024June 25, 2025 by Keith Dvorchik

As I continue to process my 10 days in Israel this month, I can only do so in bite size pieces. Here is my second bite at the experience and what it has meant to me and what I have learned.

On my trip in 2021, we had a number of Israeli men on our bus. I wrote about Alex, whose son died on October 7^th, in my last blog post. Another person I met on that trip has become a close friend. I can’t use his name or pictures for security reasons.

There were a few things that he spoke about that really resonated with me then and as I unpack the time in Israel, reinforce common themes that have come out of the trip and that I want to apply in my life. One of the most significant was when he talked about holding his son’s bar mitzvah at Kibbutz Be’eri. After being decimated on October 7^th by the Hamas terrorists, he wanted to bring light and life to Kibbutz Be’eri, so that is where he held his son’s bar mitzvah. It’s like saying that I want to get married on the still smoldering ruins of the Twin Towers in 2001. Let’s celebrate a significant event at the devastated site of the apartment building in Sunny Isles, Florida. Let’s celebrate our 50^th wedding anniversary at any of the sites of school shootings a few months after children were murdered there. In many ways, it doesn’t make sense.

Yet through a Jewish lens, it makes total sense. We value human life more than anything. The Talmud teaches that Whoever Saves a Life Saves the World. The idea of bringing light and life to a place where light and life was destroyed is incredibly Jewish. It’s similar to what Noa was saying at Shura Army base when she spoke about making a better dinner for her family, being better for her children and husband. We can take the sad, the dark, the bitter, and find a way to make the light shine again. That’s what he and his family did at Kibbutz Be’eri. They door a place stained with death, kidnapping, torture and pain and brought light to it. They brought joy to it, if even for just a few hours or a day.

***Noa, a true inspiration about how to live life. Our teachers show up when we are ready to learn.***

The lesson I take from this is that we all have an opportunity to bring light and joy to the world every single day. It doesn’t matter what is happening in our own lives, in our country, or in the world. We have the ability to make a conscious decision to do things that bring light to the world. Sometimes it can be something as simple as holding the door for somebody. Helping somebody cross the street. Say a kind word to somebody that you see even if you don’t know them. It doesn’t take much to bring light to our lives and the world. It does take a conscious effort. After this trip, one of the things I am going to do is find ways to bring light to the world around me. Pay attention to the opportunities that present themselves every day and act. The small random acts of kindness brighten somebody’s day and improve the world. Thank you Yaron and Noa for inspiring and teaching me.

Our trip leader, Saul Blinken, was incredibly inspiring. We spent most of our time based out of Jerusalem and he said something that had an immediate impact on me. Saul said that every day we wake up in Jerusalem, it’s a miracle. Every day we breath the air in Jerusalem is a miracle. Every day we walk the streets of Jerusalem, it’s a miracle. And every night we go to sleep in Jerusalem, it’s a miracle. He asked us to imagine if somebody told the Jews who were being exiled by the Romans not to worry, that 2000 years later the Jews would be back in Jerusalem and there would be a Jewish state. They wouldn’t believe it. Yet it happened.

***Saul passionately speaking to us. What an incredible teacher and friend.***

From the time Saul said that I took it to heart. Every day when I woke up, it was an incredible feeling to know that I was waking up in Jerusalem. As I walked the streets, I had a deeper appreciation of what it meant to be able to do that. Going into the old city, visiting the Kotel, walking freely throughout the city – everything became a WOW moment. It reminded me of what my friend Roni Akele, the Director General of the Ethiopian National Project said about being a Jew in Ethiopia. He said that they always dreamed of returning to Jerusalem. Everything was about Jerusalem. The psalm we sing is “If I forget you, oh Jerusalem….”

I fell in love with Jerusalem on my first trip to Israel in 1989 and it has never changed. I am not an overly religious person, yet going to the Kotel is powerful. This trip I got to visit Temple Mount for the first time. Incredibly powerful. As we stood there and said the Shema, I felt a connection that is indescribable. Saul’s words hit home and deeply. I’ll never take Jerusalem for granted again. I’ll never take for granted all the time I have spent there, all the sites I have seen, all the friends I have who live there.

It’s an opportunity to think deeply about gratitude. This was my 21^st trip to Israel and I hope to be back in Israel a few more times this year. I don’t think much about it yet now I am filled with gratitude that I have these opportunities. Each time I go to Israel, I get a deeper connection to Judaism and to understanding myself. As I have said, I’m not very religious but I am very Jewish. Israel brings that home to me.

I also think about how many things I have to be grateful for in my life. Jerusalem can easily be representative of so many important things. My family. My health. Doing work that is personally meaningful. The success of my children as people and in life. The life I have is truly beyond my wildest dreams. It is easy to lose track of that and focus on the things that aren’t going well or that I don’t like. Temple Mount was a good example. I wish we could go there whenever we want. I wish we could openly pray there and celebrate that holy space. I could focus on the things we don’t have. Or I can focus on the fact that we can go there. That I did find a private place to pray quietly. That I did feel the connection with God in this special place. Our choices determine everything. Do I want to focus on what I don’t have or what I have? Do I want to be bitter about the things I think I deserve or be grateful for the wonderful things I actually have? Just like I’ll never take Jerusalem for granted again, I won’t take the wonders and gifts of my life for granted either. Nothing is perfect but it sure can be great.

***A picture I took overlooking the Western Wall plaza. The beauty never disappoints.***

The last thing I want to unpack in this post relates to Israelis. Not since the second intifada have I been in Israel where I was thanked so much by Israelis for being there. During the second intifada they were happy to see Jews coming because most were not. It was the Christians who were coming to visit. This time they were grateful for Jewish solidarity. For knowing the Jews of the diaspora love Israel and support them as brothers and sisters. That we are willing to come in the middle of a war because of our love for Israel and the people of Israel. That the Jewish community truly is global. There was a unity we felt and that they needed. I never expected to get the thanks we did or for it to mean as much as it did to me.

During the second intifada, part of the thanks was due to the economic benefit the country needed by our visiting. While that is very true right now, that wasn’t what I was being thanked for. The Israelis need to see us in person. They need get our hugs and love. They need to know they aren’t alone. When the guys on our bus from an LA Jewish Day School gave the soldiers letters from kids at the school, they were deeply moved. October 7^th, the hostages, and the ensuing war is taking an incredible toll on the entire country. Seeing their Jewish brothers and sisters from America and the rest of the world makes an incredible difference.

It’s a reminder to me that not only do I need to show up both through WhatsApp and in person for my Israeli brothers and sisters, I need to do the same for my friends and family. That random phone call, text, or email may often mean far more than I ever thought. Checking in on friends and family doesn’t take much effort and the payoff is always significant and meaningful. This trip reminded me that the 30 seconds it takes to send a text or email, or the 15 minutes I allocate for a phone call, may change a person’s entire day and outlook. It doesn’t matter if they reply or if they answer the phone. The effort is what is meaningful.

The other thing that was surprising to me was the Israelis response to my tattoos related to October 7^th. I got them because of their meaning to me. My children could have been at Nova. I could have been there with them. It hit home and hard. The Mia Schem quote, “We will dance again” and the tattoo she got inspired me as well. It is a reminder that we never give up hope. We will overcome the challenges and not just survive but thrive. Whatever is taken from us, we will get back. They will never take our spirit or our soul. Here in America, I get very few comments on them. People are very used to tattoos and I have been surprised at the lack of comments or questions because of the uniqueness of them. In Israel it was just the opposite. Not only did they notice them, but people were stunned that October 7^th meant that much to me. ‘Wow’ was the most common thing said to me, followed by questions and a conversation. At a t-shirt store where I got a few meaningful ones for myself, the owner was so taken by my tattoos that he asked if he could take pictures of them and use them on t-shirts he would sell. Of course I said yes. On my next trip, I’ll swing by and see if he has them on a t-shirt. How cool would that be??

***Nova music festival – it could have my kids and me.***

Standing up for what you believe in matters. The old saying, “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything” really holds true. I’m not advocating that everybody should get a tattoo. I am advocating that whatever matters to you, whatever you stand for, make sure that you actually do it publicly. It matters. People notice what you say and do and what you don’t say and don’t do. If they are your values, make it public.

Trips to Israel, especially the Momentum Men’s Trips, always have me returning with my head spinning. There is always much to unpack. More is coming as I continue to process the time I spent there, the people I met, the things I saw, and how I felt. If you have never been, I urge you to go. If you have been, I urge you to return. It truly does change your life.

The Center for Israel Education inspires and teaches

Posted on February 14, 2024February 14, 2024 by Keith Dvorchik

Approximately 20 years ago at an AIPAC Policy Conference, I attended one of the breakout sessions to learn a bit more about a detailed topic. The presenter, Professor Ken Stein from Emory University, blew my mind with details and facts that I didn’t know. I sat there taking notes with tons of questions forming in my mind. There were so many of them, I had to write those down as well. After the session, I went up to talk with him and ask some of those questions. It was an inauspicious start of a friendship and professional relationship that lasts until today.

I made it a point to always attend Ken’s sessions at AIPAC. I was amazing that he was the only speaker on Israel that I found nobody had a problem with. They may ask tough questions, but Ken wasn’t trying to do Hasbara (trying to convince somebody you are correct) but rather shared the facts and allowed you to determine your own beliefs. As a result of this, I brought Ken to Seattle and then to Orlando to teach about the history of Israel.

In 2008, Ken created the Center for Israel Education (CIE), a nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about modern State of Israel. Using source documents, CIE provides context to a challenging topic. A number of years ago, I was honored when Ken asked me to join the board of directors and I have been a member ever since.

Each week, CIE provides information that is both timely and interesting. Sometimes it is related to, “This week in Israeli history” while other times it relates to what’s happening in the world. I find it interesting and learn a lot about people and policies that I didn’t know. This week’s information was particularly interesting for two reasons.

The first reason relates to ‘This week in Israeli history’. On Feb. 14, 1896, Vienna journalist Theodor Herzl published 500 copies of a pamphlet entitled “Der Judenstaat” (“The Jewish State”), declaring the need and justice of Jewish sovereignty 18 months before he convened the First Zionist Congress. I’ve been to Israel 20 times and been to Herzl’s grave at least 20 times. It’s a powerful place to visit as he was the person who had the vision of a Jewish state. Whenever I am there, I find myself humbled by his vision and always remember his famous quote, “If you will it, it is no dream.” That quote has inspired me throughout my career.

Theodore Herzl – the founder of Zionism

Interestingly enough, Herzl’s idea wasn’t limited to the middle east or to the historic greater Israel. He merely wanted the Jewish people to have their own land where they were in charge and had self-determination. He wrote about It wasn’t until the First Zionist Congress held in Basel, Switzerland with 200 delegates from across the Jewish world, that the goal to establish a Jewish State in the Land of Israel were explicitly adopted by the new Zionist movement.

***Theodore Herzl at the First Zionist Congress in Basel on August 25, 1897***

Herzl, as a secular Jew and journalist, was inspired by the Dryfuss Affair to find a way to keep Jews safe. It was his vision to have a Jewish State, a homeland, where Jews would be in charge and Jews would be safe. Where Jews would have the power of self-determination. He didn’t care where it was, only that it existed. It was at the First Zionist Congress that non-secular Jews, who understood the tie to the biblical land, ensured that the land would need to be in our historic homeland, not just anywhere.

The Dryfuss Affair on the cover of The New Yorker

Captain Alfred Dryfuss, wrongly convicted because he was a Jew.

It ties to the famous Chaim Weizmann quote. When a member of the House of Lords asked him, “Why do you Jews insist on Palestine when there are so many undeveloped countries you could settle in more conveniently?”

Weizmann answered: “That is like my asking you why you drove twenty miles to visit your mother last Sunday when there are so many old ladies living on your street?”

Wiezmann said, ‘Mr. Balfour, if you were offered Paris instead of London, would you take it?’ … He looked surprised. He said: ‘But London is our own!’ Weizmann said, ‘Jerusalem was our own when London was a marsh.’ He said, ‘That’s true.'”

Dr. Chaim Weizmann, one of the great founders of the State of Israel

Having been to Israel 20 times in my life, there is something special not just because it is a Jewish state and the only place that I am in the majority. Being in Jerusalem and standing at the Kotel is a direct connection to King Solomon. It’s a direct connection to the ‘holy of holies.’ To 5,000+ years of Jewish history.

Being at the Kotel is always such a special feeling

Going to Hebron and visiting the graves of Abraham, Jacob, Sarah, and Leah is a special feeling. (Isaac and Rebeca are also buried there but they are on the Palestinian side so Jews can only go there 10 days a year). I’ll never forget sitting between the graves of Abraham and Sarah as my friend Harry Rothenberg led us in a discussion focused on the text where Sarah was told by God that she would get pregnant when she was 90 years old, and she laughed. We explored not just the story but the love story of Abraham and Sarah. It was incredibly powerful to do this between their graves. It’s something I will never forget.

We also learned that one of times when all of the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs is open to Jews, Christians and non-muslims is during the Shabbat of Chayei Sarah. This is when Sarah dies and is buried in Hebron. There are 40,000-50,000 people who come to spend Shabbat outside the Tomb. They bring in catered meals, tents, and it’s a huge party. Watching the videos of the celebration put this on my bucket list.

In Hebron, the oldest complete building still used for it’s original purpose in the world. Inside are the caves (graves) of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs.

Below is the cave with the grave of Abraham, the patriarch.

Across from the cave of Abraham is the cave of Sarah our matriarch, where Abraham buried her himself.

The grave of Jacob, our patriarch. He wrestled with the angel and got the name Israel. It’s unbelievable to be at his grave.

The grave of Leah, our matriarch. Rachel was buried on the road (her grave is in what is now Bethlehem) while Isaac and Rebecca are on the side controlled by the Palestinians and are only accessible 10 days a year to Jews.

I’ve been the Tomb of Joseph, not too far from Nablus. There is something unique and special being there, knowing his story and how integral he was to the Jewish people. It’s hard to explain the feeling of connection, of thousands of years of history, and of peoplehood that occurred for me there.

The tomb of Joseph in Nablus. When I was there it was packed with Jews praying over his grave.

Being in the Jordan River is another unique experience. This is where our people crossed over to enter the land of Canaan after leaving Egypt. The history and connection is amazing. It was smaller than I expected and reminded me of the Ichetucknee River outside of Gainesville, Florida, that I used to go tubing down in the summer. I had imagined this powerful river that was both wide and deep. It’s the same river my ancestors crossed thousands of years ago as they entered ‘the land of milk and honey’ for the first time.

Rafting down the Jordan River is always fun – on one trip we went with a group of Muslim women who were fully clothed while we were in bathing suits. They started a splash fight with us and we had so much fun with them.

As you drive through Israel you see the field where David slew Goliath. In Tzfat you see the fields where Lecha Dodi was inspired, the mikvah of the Ari, various ancient synagogues. In Akko the excavated buildings from the crusades exist. You can see the Dead Sea Scrolls. It’s a land filled with rich Jewish history everywhere that you turn. That’s what Herzl didn’t understand but was smart enough to listen the First Zionist Congress. It’s why the modern State of Israel is home to all of us. It’s not just a country of Jewish self-determination. It is our historic homeland, our past, present, and future. It is tied to our souls as anybody who has visited there, Jewish or not, will attest. I’m grateful that Herzl listened to the delegates at the First Zionist Conference and wouldn’t accept just anywhere. Israel is my mother that I travel 6,500 miles to visit and it’s worth it every time.

Looking out on the fields in Tzfat. This is what inspired L’cha Dodi and where they would walk out to meet the Shabbat Bride each Friday night.

Looking down at the Mikvah of the Ari from the 1500s. It’s inside the building. He used in the 1500s and I used in in 2021 and 2022. That’s the power of Israel for Jews.

The actual Mikvah itself. The Ari used it in the 1500s, stepping into the same pool (not the same water) as I did in 2021 and 2022.

The second piece of information that I found fascinating goes back to 1993. During the Knesset debate over the Oslo Accords in September 1993, then Foreign Minister Shimon Peres warned that “There are in Gaza this year between 750,000 and 800,000 inhabitants. Within 20 years, there will be almost 2 million residents in the Gaza Strip. The population density leads to violence, the poverty leads to terrorism.” If you read his full remarks, it is fascinating to apply them to today.

I met Shimon Peres more than 20 years (and 70 pounds!) ago. A truly special man and leader.

As Israel continues to respond to the horror of October 7^th, there are more than 2 million people in Gaza. Life there has led to violence and terrorism. Hamas, UNWRA, and the UN have contributed to these problems. At a JNF lunch event today, Ambassador Michael Oren told us that Israel is figuring out how many of the terrorists on October 7^th were taught at an UNWRA school. I’m afraid to see how high that number will be. UNWRA ignored or allowed the strategic headquarters of Hamas to be built in tunnels under the UNWRA headquarters. The textbooks are filled with antisemitism. Even children’s programming is targeted to hate and kill Jews. The Hamas version of Sesame Street, Tomorrow’s Pioneers, is focused on murdering Jews. This clip blames the Jews for a character cheating in school. Shimon Peres was right about the growth in Gaza and what the consequences would be. October 7^th proved him right. The question is how do we move forward from here?

The textbooks provided by UNRWA to the Palestinian/Gazan children are filled with antisemitism and Jew hatred.

In the same warning, Peres stated, “Neither do I propose that we talk of economic cooperation. Why? Because the Arabs believe that the State of Israel wants to dominate the region. We do not want to do the Arabs any favors. I am not even suggesting economic cooperation with the Arabs. All I am telling the Arabs is this: There are problems that will remain unresolved unless we tackle them jointly. We should make a joint effort only when problems are insolvable without such a joint effort.”

Was this Peres foreshadowing the Abraham Accords? The threat of Iran brought Arab countries together to recognize Israel, forever changing the dynamic. The Iranian problem was insolvable without a joint effort. After October 7^th, these nations did not abandon Israel. They understand that Iran is the problem and that it’s insolvable without Israel being a part of the solution. Could this be the basis for a new government in Gaza and perhaps the West Bank/Judea and Samaria? Could this be the key to rebuilding Gaza and finally making it into the ‘Singapore of the Middle East’? Could this be the basis for peace and a willingness to live together?

An incredible picture of the signing of the Abraham Accords as more muslim countries recognize and normalize relations with Israel.

I find myself looking to some of the great Israeli leaders of the past for inspiration on a regular basis. David Ben Gurion. Golda Meir. Shimon Peres. Yitzhak Rabin. Moshe Dayan. Menachem Begin.

Picture of Ben Gurion reading the Declaration of Independence in Independence Hall

When I saw this statue of Ben Gurion, I had to get a picture with it. The more I learn about him, the more in awe I am of who he was and what he did.

I think of current Israeli leaders such as Ambassador Michael Oren, Ambassador Ron Dermer, and the many Consul Generals I have had the pleasure to interact with and befriend. We are wise to listen to their insights. Michael Oren has a substack that I now subscribe to. Their words are treasurers.

Michael Oren speaking in Orlando this week at a JNF event. A future blog will talk about what he said.

Talking with and listen to Michael Oren is truly incredible. A brilliant man to learn from

Two of my favorite Ben Gurion quotes are:

“Dare, Persevere, Succeed.”

“Pioneering is refusing to accept reality as it is.”

As I look back at Herzl and at the words of Peres; as I look forward to ‘The Day After’ and the Abraham Accords, these two quotes inspire me for the future of Israel. And they inspire me personally. We change the world by being daring, persevering, and succeeding. And by being pioneers and not accepting reality as it is, we have the opportunity to create a new reality. A new dream. “If you will it, it is no dream. Dare, persevere, succeed. Refusing to accept reality as it is.” Three quotes that sum up Israel and the Jewish people. Three belief systems that will change your life and change the world.

Robert Frost’s poetry and antisemitism

Posted on December 7, 2023December 17, 2023 by Keith Dvorchik

Since October 7^th, I have found myself thinking very differently about life in general, the world we live in, values, morals, and ethics. I no longer wonder how the Holocaust/Shoah could have happened, how people could stay quiet, turn a blind eye, or even defend what the Nazis were doing. I see it daily.

I have been reading things that before October 7 I didn’t. I have been exploring different writers and topics to broaden my mind and to keep my heart open in a time when it is broken daily. I was struck by this line of poetry from Robert Frost’s, “After Apple-Picking”.

I am overtired
Of the great harvest I myself desired.

With the rise of antisemitism over the past decade and what we have seen in the past two months, I have found myself exhausted dealing with all the hate. My family is scared of being publicly Jewish and won’t let me put out an Israeli flag, inflatable Hanukkah decorations, and don’t like me wearing my Israel or IDF hoodie or my new Israeli soccer jersey. I want to go to Israel to volunteer in the fields or at a hospital and they don’t want me to do that either. So, I think of Robert Frost’s words above.

What a great harvest we have had as American Jews over the past 75 years. We wanted to be accepted and we were. We wanted to be publicly Jewish, and we were able to be publicly Jewish. Mezuzahs on our doors with no fear of reprisal. Hanukkiahs in our windows with no fear of vandalism. Wearing our Chai’s or Magen David’s around our necks, outside our shirts, proclaiming our Judaism. Wearing IDF t-shirts or hoodies in public, flying Israeli flags from our flagpoles, big signs identifying our Jewish organizations and synagogues. What a great harvest. Everything we could have desired.

And I am overtired of what it is like today. The growing public hate. The nastiness, antisemitism and Jew hatred on social media. The threat of physical violence because we are Jewish. The fear of having public statements of being on Jewish on our homes or outside our homes or in our windows. Feeling the need to hide a necklace in public with a Jewish symbol. Wondering if it’s safe to wear a hoodie supporting Israel or a t-shirt that says Israel on it.

Throughout history, the Jewish people have lived mostly in exile and have become part of the societies in which we lived. And yet we had pogroms. We had the Shoah. And we have this growing antisemitism and Jew hate in America and around the world. The Presidents of MIT, Harvard, and The University of Pennsylvania could not state, in front of Congress, that threatening a genocide of Jews on campus would violate their policies.

In today’s world, it’s critical that we do two things. First, invest in our Jewish community. This means our time, talent, and treasure. It’s how we have survived for thousands of years. This is not a time to abandon being Jewish, but rather to invest in being Jewish. Secondly, we much reach out to our non-Jewish friends and colleagues and ensure we have their support. The growing hate is not limited to Jew hatred and together we can stand up to hate.

As Robert Frost so eloquently stated,