1.Shavuot

Shavuot begins tonight and like every year when I imagine the revelation of the Ten Commandments to Moses and the Israelites, I see Mel Brooks on beautiful Mt. Sinai some 3333 years ago. Enjoy his humor, your holiday, and maybe some blintzes (see recipes below). The attached piece of art is one I purchased in the Jewish Ghetto in Venice a long time ago. I thought it was cool and still do. Chag Sameach.

2.And on the Other Hand

"In late April, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis visited Jerusalem, voicing support for Israeli West Bank settlements, touting a law he had just signed giving families thousands of dollars per year in private school tuition vouchers and signing a bill that increased penalties for antisemitic harassment.

"Two weeks later, his education department rejected two new textbooks on the Holocaust as part of a clampdown on what he has called 'woke indoctrination.'

"Those two developments may anchor the Jewish arguments for and against DeSantis as he stands on the cusp of announcing a campaign for the Republican presidential nomination." His decision to launch via Twitter Spaces with Elon Musk and David Sacks was filled with glitches. It will be interesting to see how he plans to narrow the gap and defeat Donald Trump in the coming months. Read more in "What Jewish voters need to know about Ron DeSantis, the Florida Republican running for president"

3.Minyan Minded

Tablet Magazine's "The Minyan" - roundtables on the state of the American Jewish community - today brings together converts to Judaism. There are lots of insights and opinions from 10 regular people "about why they chose to become Jews, where they have and haven't felt welcome, and what they think about everything from brisket to wearing a Star of David." Read the article here.

"My choice to become a Jew was really one of joy because I felt it was so freeing and liberating. It was giving me tools to actually concentrate on the here and now—the world in which you’re living—rather the faith in which I’d been raised, which put so much credence in thinking about the afterlife, where faith mattered more than your actions. Reform Judaism, to me, was so exciting because it gave credence to saying, 'Let’s stay current and think about—be active about—the world in which we live, making it a better place and thereby fulfilling the commandment of tikkun olam,' which is so powerful for me," shared one participant.

4.Chosen

"Sometimes work just has to get done," the religious Jewish mother of six told her children when they questioned her viewing choice.

"To my complete surprise, The Chosen presents the most intensely Jewish Jesus and the Gospels we’ve ever had.

Now look, don’t misunderstand me. As an educated Jew watching it, undoubtedly some of it is a bit kitschy. Some of it is anachronistic. Some of it is just plain wrong. But all that pales in the face of its value for building understanding between Jews and Christians. The series takes a fact that by now all Christians know, and makes it impossible to look away, fleshing out the Jewishness of Jesus and his earliest followers into something an inescapable, determinative and profoundly positive foundation for the Christian faith," writes Faydra Shapiro, the founding director of the Israel Center for Jewish-Christian Relations who holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies.

Read more in "Why this Jew is binge-watching The Chosen (and maybe you should too)."

4.Not Choking on That One

Embattled Jewish Oscar winner Woody Allen helped his friend Andrew Stein, a former Manhattan borough president, when Stein choked on a piece of pork at the Caravaggio restaurant on the Upper East Side last Tuesday. More in "Woody Allen saves his friend with Heimlich maneuver at dinner with Alan Dershowitz." Reading this I was wondering if Allen - a lifelong Knicks fan - would consider using his skills to breathe some life into the playoffs-challenged Knicks? One can only dream.

6.Cheese, Please

You can make the drive and experience where to find Boston's best blintzes or you can chef it up and make some sweet and savory treats at home. There are no losers here. Well, maybe your waistline.

7.With Gratitude

Five weeks from now our annual 2023 campaign will close. The majority of our members, (that’s you, our generous year after year donors) have already pledged, donated online or mailed in a check and to you I say thank you on behalf of our entire community. To those who have not yet participated, please reply ASAP when we mail or call you in the coming weeks. And let me be the first to thank you ahead of time.

TBA