Jeff Goldwasser

Were you somehow hoping that the people who voted for him knowing that he was a convicted criminal would care when they found out that he was also a pedophile?

Out of Thin Air This is the sermon I delivered at Temple Sinai in Cranston, Rhode Island, at the Kol Nidre service on October 1, 2025. ​My family and I vacationed in the San Francisco Bay Area last year. On the...

We, like the trees, are sustained by the insubstantial and our lives are built out of thin air.

Sermon for Kol Nidre.

"If I am I and You are You..." This is the sermon I delivered at Temple Sinai in Cranston, Rhode Island, for the first day of Rosh Hashanah 5786. Menachem Mendl of Kotzk, also known as the Kotzker Rebbe, was a prominent chasidic...

“What rabbinic Judaism did 1,500 years ago is what we should be doing now – recognizing that people are different. All human beings should be allowed to be who they are – and not be beholden to somebody else’s idea of who they should be.”

Anti-Hamas protests in southern Gaza enter third day Protesters were seen in videos calling for an end to the war and the removal of the armed group from Gaza

You want to stand with the Palestinian people? Stand with the Palestinians who risk their lives by standing against the death-loving, theocratic cult of Hamas.

“I could be a stupid person and say, ‘Oh, no. We don’t want a free giant wooden horse.’”
—King Priam of Troy

Just a question here. If Pope Leo XIV were a student in a Florida classroom, would his teachers be legally required to call him by the name on his birth certificate if they didn’t have written permission from his parents to call him by his papal name?

Chag sameach. Let all who are hungry come and eat!

I spoke at the press conference of the RI Predatory Lending Reform Coalition. The GA must close the loophole that lets storefront payday lenders target and ensnare Rhode Islanders — many consumers of color — in cycles of debt. My part starts at 30:00. capitoltvri.cablecast.tv/show/11117?s...

Protesters in Gaza Call on Hamas to Step Aside Demanding an end to the war, hundreds pressed the militants to relinquish control of the enclave, a rare demonstration against a group that has suppressed dissent with violence.

“Israel bombs us without mercy and Hamas doesn’t care if we die.”
— Sharif al-Buheisi, 56, resident of Gaza

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/w...

Donald Trump was famous for saying, “You’re fired!” as a tv reality show personality, but he doesn’t have the guts to fire a Secretary of Defense who compromised national security by sharing classified information on a platform specifically prohibited by a longstanding DoD policy.

“What’s the name of the holiday when you take down the last of the Hanukkah decorations?“
“President’s Day.“
(Joke, not a joke).

Your government is being dismantled, piece by piece. It is being bled to death. This is not what the Framers had in mind when they charged the Executive Branch with the duty to “faithfully execute” the law.

Reform Leadership Responds to President Trump’s Recent Comments on Gaza We strongly condemn the proposal described by President Donald Trump of a U.S. takeover of the Gaza Strip in the form of a real estate development plan.

urj.org/press-room/r...

President Trump’s call for the U.S. to “take over the Gaza Strip” is a disaster for Israel. It threatens the hostages, sets up generations of violence and war, and is an unambiguous threat of war crimes. The Jewish community must speak loudly against such an outrage being committed in our name.

Car Magnet Made in USA 4" diameter

My friend, Rabbi Barry Block, had this bumper sticker stolen off his car by someone who also left a nasty note. I ordered four of them, one for each member of my family. You can, too, at: ncjw.myshopify.com/products/car...

For his first significant act on food prices, President Trump just raised the price of coffee.

The release of those murderers is a disaster for the Palestinian people. They will surely plan more attacks on Israel that will result in loss of life — Israeli and far more Palestinian. The Palestinian people should mourn the release of those murderers in a deal negotiated for them by murderers.2/2

I support the deal to let the hostages come home, grateful they will finally be reunited with their loved ones. This despite the fact that it will require the release of hundreds of convicted murders. 1/2

On the first day of the GA’s 2025 session, the RI Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty held the annual Fighting Poverty with Faith Vigil at the State House. Thank you to all the amazing faith leaders who blessed our elected officials and challenged them to govern with wisdom, care and compassion.

This last day of Chanukah, Zot Chanukah, is the most precious of all the days because it reminds us that the miracle is now up to us. Happy Chanukah.

The fact that the holiday ends with 24 hours in which we have no external light to illuminate our faith is a reminder that the light is now within us. It is up to us now to carry the light and the miracle in our hearts, minds, spirit and action.

Therefore the miracle of Chanukah is the miracle that has sustained the Jewish people for more than 2,000 years with no newer miracles to reinvigorate our faith.

What makes today more Chanukah than any of the previous seven days? According to the teachings of the S’fat Emet, Chanukah has a special power due to the fact that it is the holiday that celebrates the last miracle that was performed for the Jewish people.

TODAY IS STILL CHANUKAH. One of the curiosities of Chanukah is that there is a full 24 hours left at the end of the holiday after the last candle burns out. This final day, until sunset this evening, is known as “Zot Chanukah,” literally, “This is Chanukah.”

For the last night of Chanukah, we have three full menorahs at home, plus one with the oldest daughter on FaceTime. The Talmud is silent on the question of using an iPhone to make the blessings together, so I reckon it’s okay. #happychanukah

Sixth night of Chanukah.

Fifth night of Chanukah. Rejoicing in a tradition that recognizes the sanctity of eating jelly donuts. #sufganiyot

The 4th night of Chanukah is the yahrzeit of my grandfather, David Goldwasser, ז״ל. President of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, trustee of Emory University, and a vice-president of the American Jewish Committee. He advised Jimmy Carter on Jewish affairs. May his memory be a blessing.