In some of my recent quarterly rabbinic messages, I spoke about the experiences that Beverly and I have had out on Long Island these past months participating in services at a wide variety of synagogues.  My appreciation goes to the…

This past quarter has involved many changes, most notably a transition for Beverly and me from northern New Mexico to eastern Long Island, New York.  My science (mostly program development) is now based at Brookhaven National Laboratory where I often…

June 18th marked the anniversary of my first day at Los Alamos National (then Scientific) Laboratory; I arrived as a clueless graduate student many years (alright, decades!) ago. Over the course of my career at Los Alamos, I have been…

Going to the same synagogue week after week can be boring for many Jews, myself included. One creative solution exercised by a large number of co-religionists is to eschew synagogues altogether. As a rabbi, I am forbidden to recommend that…

Recently I had to obtain a new badge at Los Alamos National Laboratory, my primary employer, to replace one that was expiring after its normal five years. The clerk reviewed various statistics that are coded onto the chip – height,…

(This message was originally composed prior to the horrific shooting in Pittsburgh with the intention of sending an early November e-blast. Following the shooting, I spent time with the Los Alamos High School cast and crew of Neil Simon’s “Brighton…

This seems to be a season of anniversaries. My reading list (below) includes Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosney, which recounts the horrific Vélodrome d’Hiver roundup in Paris on July 16, 1942. Over 10,000 Jews were arrested, the majority being…

It’s no surprise that there exist synagogue buildings without congregations of Jews – we are a wandering people who have picked up and left our homes, sometimes in search of a better economic environment and sometimes under duress. Last month,…

I am thankful to be able to write yet another quarterly Rabbinic message (I’m actually particularly thankful to be writing this today because I’m getting over a bug which could have been much worse). The Talmud (B. Men. 43b) quotes…