Coach David Blatt's Firing Makes You Go Hmmm

For Jewish and pro-Israel sports fans Coach David Blatt of the Cleveland Cavaliers was a bit of a novelty. Sure, there have been Jewish coaches in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the past -- the legendary Red Auerbach, Red Holzman and Larry Brown to name a few. But David Blatt was the first Israeli head coach in the NBA and to Jewish basketball fans that was a source of pride.

On Friday, David Blatt became the first coach to be fired when his team had the best record in a conference since conference play started in the NBA back in 1970-71. That's not something Jewish basketball fans will be proud of. In fact, it's a statistic that has left people scratching their heads.

Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, himself Jewish and a supporter of Israel, fired Coach Blatt late last week. No one questioned that Blatt's termination was motivated by his Israeli connection. Many, in fact, speculated that LeBron James wanted Tyronn Lue, an assistant coach, to lead the team. Regardless of the rationale for terminating Blatt, there's no question that the timing was odd. At the time of his firing, the Cavs were in first place with a .732 winning percentage and there were still a few weeks to go until the All Star break. Many in the league (including Tyronn Lue, the new head coach of the Cavs) are insisting that Blatt still be allowed to coach the East team in the All Star Game in mid-February.

Blatt’s sophomore season as Cleveland's head coach (he had only coached in Israel and Europe previously) was going even better than his first year when the Cavs made it to the NBA Finals. While no one suggests that the decision to fire Blatt was at all related to his Israeli background (he was born in the U.S., but has called Israel home since making aliyah in 1981), there was a lot of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric in the comment sections of the stories in the press that broke Friday after the news of his termination.

Commenting on Blatt's firing, Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy ranted, "It’s embarrassing for the league... we all get into this no matter what happens. You’re supposed to win. He did. He did, and now he’s still getting fired... That one – to me – elevated all of the coach firings totally into the theater of the absurd... I don’t know if anybody knows what the expectations of coaches are anymore."

USA Today ran a story right after Blatt's firing about the response in Israel. The opening line of the article was, "The Cleveland Cavaliers suddenly have far fewer fans in Israel after the firing of David Blatt." It said that news of the firing topped all Israeli newscasts Saturday, knocking Middle East violence off the headlines. One Israeli lamented, "Finally I can go back to hating LeBron without feeling guilty. Hope he never sees a title in his life." Israelis rallied around Cleveland for one reason: their beloved Coach Blatt. Now, those same fans are left questioning why he was fired.


On a personal note, I met Coach David Blatt following a Cavaliers-Pistons game one year ago and found him to be extremely friendly and kind. He took the time to talk to my son in Hebrew, wish him a happy birthday and then offered a "Shabbat Shalom" greeting together with my son, Josh, and the friends he brought to the game.

I for one will miss having David Blatt in the NBA and hope that another team will soon hire him as a head coach. He's got a smart basketball IQ and deserves to have another shot at coaching in the NBA.

Technology is Enhancing Our Religious Lives

As a rabbi, it should come as no surprise that religion is my work. I think about such concepts as God, faith, spirituality, community and religious education on a daily basis. What may be surprising is that I also think about technology every day. I see a strong connection between the two categories of religion and technology. In fact, the rapid growth of technological innovation in our ever expanding digital lives is revolutionizing the way we humans engage with matters of faith, both inside and outside of the traditional religious institutions.

About five years ago, former Newsweek religion editor Lisa Miller warned that advances in technology could demolish the Christian Church. She cited the introduction of Bible apps for tablets and smartphones that amounted to a “new crisis for organized religion” in which “believers can bypass constraining religious structures - otherwise known as ‘church’ - in favor of a more individual connection with God.” That warning, unsurprising to me, has proved false. Technology has not hindered the Church or any other organized religion. Religion has not been demolished by tech advances, but it has been augmented by the many innovations including the Internet and mobile apps.

In a response to Lisa Miller’s admonition, Jonathan Merritt of the Religion News Services, writes, “Prophetic predictions of the demise of the Christian Church have almost become a tradition among religion writers. As with the others, Miller’s has amounted to naught. Instead of having a completely negative effect on the Christian religion, technology has become an empowerment tool for both pastors and parishioners. Online versions of the Bible are one factor people point to when citing reasons for increased engagement with the Good Book. But on the other side of the pulpit, technology is now empowering pastors to minister more effectively.”

Technology for Good: Mobile Apps that Help Us

As we look around the technology landscape at the beginning of 2016, I think it's fair to say that the pace of innovation is quite impressive. Driverless cars, drones, connected homes and 3-D virtual reality have arrived and today's youth don't even know of a time without social media or mobile apps.

We are certainly living in exciting times thanks to tech innovation. However, I like to consider that there are three separate categories of innovation. We can and should be excited about all three categories because the technology is impressive in each. One category consists of technology that ranges from the fun to the mindless. This includes technology without a higher purpose -- think gaming mobile apps like Angry Birds. Sure, it helps preoccupy your kids by handing them the iPad while in the doctor's waiting room, but it doesn't advance society. The second category includes technology that improves our lives, but doesn't solve our most pressing issues. Here, I would include such innovations as drones, Uber/Lyft transportation, socialized TV viewing and advanced GPS technology. They have made our lives easier, but we could also continue living without them.

The third category is the most critical. I argue that this is the technology about which we should really be passionate and enthusiastic. Not only does this technology have a utility,  but it is revolutionary. This is the technology that will solve the greatest ills of the 21st century.

Beacon of Hope

Sex slavery is the fastest growing crime in the world and less than 1% of the victims (half of whom are under 12-years-old) are identified. That problem has led 25-year-old twin sisters America and Penelope Lopez to develop Beacon of Hope. Last year, the sisters won a top prize at the AT&T Developer Summit and Hackathon in Las Vegas for their "Body Camera Hack," a prototype camera with face-tracking technology that can be worn by law enforcement officers to record their actions in the field. This year, the Lopez sisters returned to the AT&T Developer Summit to spend the 36 straight hours of the Hackathon creating their potential solution to the sex slavery problem.

What is Beacon of Hope? Together with a couple other developers, the dynamic sisters have used Gimbal's iBeacon technology to alert law enforcement when a woman is being taken as a sex slave. The small beacons are hidden in tampons and sanitary napkins that will be available in women's restrooms at such places as gas stations, highway rest stops, stadiums and casinos because survivors report the only place they were ever alone was in a public restroom. A woman will be able to easily hide the beacon in her purse or pocket to be tracked by local law enforcement. The beacon immediately sends a signal to the police so they can trace her location. The sisters have taken advantage of AT&T's Smart Cities technology to ensure the tracking beacon is monitored as it travels as sex slavery victims are often moved from city to city against their will. It also utilizes the technologies of IBM Watson, Intel Edison and AT&T Flow Designer. The next version of Beacon of Hope will allow a victim to simply make a hand gesture in front of the beacon dispensary to alert law enforcement.

America and Penelope Lopez of Beacon of Hope

Debbie Friedman and the Healing Power of Music

On Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook page this past September, the Facebook founder and CEO posted that he was "celebrating Rosh Hashanah." In his Facebook post, Zuckerberg offered the following blessing to his millions of followers:

I want to wish L'Shana Tova to everyone celebrating Rosh Hashanah -- the Jewish new year and a moment to reflect on our limited time here so we may live more meaningfully. My favorite Jewish prayer is called Mi Shebeirach. It has a line that has always touched me and that I reflect on when I face challenges: "Help us find the courage to make our lives a blessing." I hope you all have a wonderful year ahead and that you find the courage to make a positive and meaningful change in the world this year.

There was something beautiful about Zuckerberg's Rosh Hashanah greeting, but I also took notice that his favorite Jewish prayer is called "Mi Shebeirach." There are actually several Mi Shebeirach prayers, but of course the one Zuckerberg was referencing is the popular prayer for healing. Thirty years ago, when Zuckerberg was a year old, it would be unlikely for someone to cite the prayer for healing as ones favorite prayer. The reason that Zuckerberg, like so many others, considers the "Mi Shebeirach" as their favorite prayer is thanks to one woman.

This past Shabbat marked five years since the well known singer/songwriter Debbie Friedman passed away following a long battle with cancer. Her contributions to Jewish prayer and spirituality have endured since her passing and whenever I hear someone mention the Mi Sheberach for healing, as Zuckerberg did, I'll think of Debbie Friedman and her beautiful rendition of this prayer that brought it to the level of mass appeal.

A couple weeks from now we will observe Shabbat Shira when we chant the Song of the Sea from Chapter 15 of Exodus. It is an appropriate time to reflect on both the power of music in prayer and on Debbie Friedman's immense contributions to synagogue spirituality through her powerful music.

Remembering CES Maven Neil Gandler

I usually spend the Sunday following the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas reflecting on all of the amazing new tech products I saw over the previous week. Of course I have a lot on my mind as this was the best CES I've experienced yet, but today I will put those reflections on hold because the tragedy of Neil Gandler's murder takes precedence.

Neil Gandler, founder of VegasTechShows.com

Ever since I began attending CES, like thousands of other attendees I came to depend upon a website of resources called VegasTechShows.com. This website was created by software engineer Neil Gandler as a labor of love. It was a roughly built site that more closely resembled a bulletin board (BBS), but even without a flashy, modern look provided detailed information for CES attendees. Neil offered a place on the Web for attendees, media and exhibitors to post helpful tips about travel to Vegas for CES, which hotels to stay at, meetups, dining options and parties. While the site is called Vegas Tech Shows, its function is only for the one week of CES. As the "senior editor and platform developer" of VegasTechShows.com, Neil was always granted a complimentary media pass to CES each year and 2016 would have been his 15th show.

A few years ago as I was preparing my yearly travel plans for CES I consulted Neil's website and had a specific question so I emailed him. I received an immediate response from Neil informing me that we already knew each other. Little did I know that Neil had attended the University of Michigan for graduate school and was active in the Jewish grad student and professionals group at U-M Hillel, where I served as the campus rabbi and associate director. Neil reminded me that he had attended a "Torah on Tap" program for grad students I led at a local bar in Ann Arbor. It was great to reconnect with him, and over the past couple of years we continued to keep in touch about interesting events surrounding CES.

This past October during the Sukkot holiday I received an email from Neil on a Friday afternoon. The subject was "Shabbat Shalom from Michigan" and Neil let me know he was in Ann Arbor and would love to see me over the weekend. I immediately wrote back, inviting him to our home the following day to have Shabbat lunch in our sukkah. He was excited to join us. Over lunch, Neil spoke about his experience in Silicon Valley, the prohibitively high cost of housing there, his plans to invest in tech startups and his love of food. A true foodie, he told us how much he enjoys trying new restaurants and remembers every meal he'd ever had. While in the Detroit area, he asked for suggestions of local kosher restaurants he should try in addition to some of the well known Detroit area restaurants he'd heard about.

The Dividing Wall of Netanyahu's Legacy

In the 1970s and 1980s, if someone referenced "The Wall" they were likely referring to the Berlin Wall (or the Pink Floyd album). Today, mention of "The Wall" likely refers to the Western Wall (the Kotel) in Jerusalem. While walls of the security variety have been much discussed lately -- from Israel's security fence to the billion dollar one Donald Trump wants to erect in America to keep out Mexicans -- the Kotel's gender divisions have been a divisive issue for the Jewish people for a very long time.

An article on the Jerusalem Post website recently ran the headline:  "Netanyahu agrees with haredim not to allow Women of the Wall to read Torah at Western Wall." That decision by the Prime Minister of Israel might be chalked up to the status quo and considered not very newsworthy as 2015 comes to a close, however, it is contradictory to his previous promise. As Women of the Wall officially noted, “Apparently when Netanyahu spoke of ‘all’ Jews in November 2015, he forgot that women make up half of all Jews."  The group was referencing Netanyahu's statement at the Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly last month.

In response to this negated promise, I don't think any Jews will offer up the rallying cry of "Mr. Netanyahu: Tear down that wall," but the ongoing unfairness at the Kotel is sure to leave many non-Orthodox Jews feeling that the Kotel no longer represents a religious or spiritual place for us. On my first visit to the Kotel I felt enormously spiritual while touching the ancient walls and offering a personal prayer for my dying grandfather. That was over 21 years ago, and I've returned to Israel many times since then. With each successive visit to the Kotel, I feel less and less connected to this ancient destination. This decline of spirituality and connection at the Kotel has been triggered specifically by the treatment of women at this holy site, but more generally by the way the Israeli government has allowed the Kotel to be controlled by the haredi Orthodox Jews. Non-haredi Jews feel marginalized at the Kotel and have been made to feel like strangers there -- or at the very least like guests in an ultra-Orthodox synagogue. The Kotel should be a holy site to all the Jewish people.

The White House Hanukkah Party 2015

My wife, Elissa, and I returned home Thursday following a busy two days in Washington D.C. Since becoming parents, we have both really made it a point to not go out in the evenings during Hanukkah, let alone travel out of town away from the kids. However, when I received an invitation to the annual Hanukkah Reception at The White House, we (of course) decided to make an exception knowing it would be quite the experience.

Like so many rabbis and Jewish community leaders I have enthusiastically followed the excitement of the annual Hanukkah party at The White House in past years from the outside looking in by scanning the photos and videos guests upload to Facebook and other social media. This year when the invitation arrived asking for my presence along with a guest, I knew Elissa and I would have a different perspective from the inside. After posting several photos (okay, a lot of photos!) on Facebook and Instagram during the party Wednesday evening, several friends asked me to blog about the experience, so here are some reflections:

We had heard a few fun tidbits from past attendees and they all proved to be true. The line of invited guests on the street outside The White House waiting to be processed by Secret Service security truly is an unofficial Jewish leadership reunion and a "Who's Who" of the American Jewish world. On the advice of some White House Hanukkah Party veterans, we got in line about an hour before the time on the invitation. We were surprised to see that the line was already about 40 people deep when we arrived. From our Uber car we could already see several friends and colleagues walking down the street toward The White House. At the front of the line I was excited to see Rabbi Burt Visotzky, one of my favorite teachers from rabbinical school at the Jewish Theological Seminary.

The other rumor that is completely true is that the lamb chops at The White House are out of this world. Never have I eaten such delicious lamb chops before. They were enough to turn a vegan back into a carnivore. Just delicious! And of course, as in all years, The White House was made kosher and kosher supervised by Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Executive VP of American Friends of Chabad Lubavitch. In addition to all the photos guests post of themselves in front of the portraits of Past Presidents, one of the most common photos is of the sign from Rabbi Shemtov explaining the strict kashrut standards for the evening.

With Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Kosher Supervisor for the annual Hanukkah Reception at The White House

The security process was very intense, which is not surprising considering it is The White House and the President and First Lady were in attendance. After having our identification checked twice by Secret Service against the list of attendees we were then taken into a small security house one by one to be sniffed by a German Shepherd before going through the security scanners. Once inside The White House, however, it was a very warm and relaxing atmosphere without any concern for our safety.

With Matt Nosanchuk

Each year the annual Hanukkah reception at The White House is organized by the liaison to the Jewish community, a position currently held by Matt Nosanchuk. I had the honor of meeting Matt, a Detroit expat, at the Hanukkah party and I was amazed at what a spectacular job he does. Let's face it, it is not an easy task to produce two back-to-back parties for hundreds of Jewish leaders on the same day. I had a chance to also meet Jarrod Bernstein, a past liaison to the Jewish community position in the Obama administration, at the reception. Waiting for the President to speak, I also spotted Jay Footlick, who was the Jewish liaison in the Clinton Administration.

The Hanukkah party was, as I presumed, not a political event at all. There were Democrats and Republicans in attendance. It really was an opportunity to celebrate Hanukkah and not to debate any divisive political issues. I was, however, concerned about inappropriate comments that some people might make on photos I posted to social media that evening and I didn't want to have to be occupied with monitoring my Facebook account while at the party. So, before I left for Washington, I gave my assistant the task of monitoring my social networks for anything overtly offensive. At the end of the night, I'm happy to say that she only had to remove three comments that were inappropriate.

The best piece of advice about the party came from Rabbi Steven Wernick, the CEO of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, who had attended the afternoon party. Before we headed out that evening, I asked him for any pointers and he was emphatic about wearing comfortable shoes. I told Elissa and she quickly threw a pair of comfortable shoes into her purse. After standing for a long time waiting for the President and First Lady to enter the room, she switched shoes and was grateful for Steve's advice, especially a few hours later as we made our way from The White House to the Library of Congress for Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz's Hanukkah party (the "after party" as some refer to the congresswoman's annual get-together).

My wife and I with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz at her Hanukkah party at the Library of Congress

The White House is beautiful inside and even more so during the holidays. Guests of the party were free to roam from room to room. Some of the highlights were viewing the portraits of Past Presidents and First Ladies, looking through books in the library, checking out the beautiful candid photos of the First Family that adorned the walls, and admiring the display of the official White House dishes and holiday cards from past administrations. With The White House decorated for Christmas, it was comical to see so many rabbis -- of all denominations -- posing for photos in front of Christmas trees and wreaths.

My wife, Elissa Miller, with First Lady Michelle Obama at The White House Hanukkah Party

One of the highlights, of course, was actually shaking hands with President Obama and Mrs. Obama. A White House staff member told Elissa where the best place to stand would be and we took his advice. It was fun watching as the President shmoozed with the kids next to us, asking about their school and sports teams. Before we left for Washington I asked one of my children what he wanted me to bring back for him. I was thinking a t-shirt, but he asked me to get a video of President Obama saying "hi" to him. Surprisingly, I was able to comply!

Many people have asked me about the differences between the afternoon Hanukkah party and the evening Hanukkah party. I too was curious and asked William Daroff earlier in the day. He explained that both parties are essentially the same. The food is the same at both parties and each have a Jewish a capella group perform (The Maccabeats from Yeshiva University sang at the afternoon party and the Chai Notes from Cornell sang in the evening). This year, the afternoon party included a visit from Reuven Rivlin, the President of Israel, and Vice President Joe Biden and Ambassador Ron Dermer were there too. The evening party included all three Jewish Supreme Court justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan, although we only saw Justice Ginsburg who stood right by us during the ceremony (the President jokingly referred to by her nickname, "The Notorious RBG").

With my wife, Elissa Miller, Ruth Messinger of AJWS and Rep. Eliot Engel

President Rivlin lit the Hanukkah candles at the afternoon party, while at the evening party we had the honor of watching as Holocaust survivor Manny Lindenbaum lit the chanukkiyah with his granddaughter Lauren. President Obama talked about Lindenbaum's story of being born in Germany, deported to Poland, and eventually escaping to England with his brother via the Kindertransport. His parents and sister perished at Auschwitz. The President also shared the story of of how Lindenbaum, at age 81, rode his bicycle 200 miles with his children and grandchildren last year retracing his voyage in Europe and raising money for HIAS (the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society).

With Holocaust survivor Manny Lindenbaum

After the ceremony, Elissa and I had the pleasure of speaking with him and he explained to us what he was talking with President Obama about when they huddled together following the ceremony. It turns out that when he received the call from The White House asking him to light the menorah, Lindenbaum was looking at a photo of his sister who was very young when she was murdered at Auschwitz. He brought a print out of that photo with him to The White House so his sister's memory would be with him. He teared up as he showed the President the photo.

With my wife, Elissa, and longtime Michigan Congressman Sandy Levin at The White House

The rabbi who spoke at the afternoon party made news for her speech, which I heard from the C-Span recording of that ceremony. While I agree with her message that we must stand together against hatred and that we should welcome refugees to our great nation, I think that she took a unique honor and used it inappropriately. The way in which she expressed all of her activist positions was undignified in that setting. Rabbi Sid Schwarz, who spoke at the evening party, on the other hand set the perfect tone and spoke beautifully about Hanukkah and its message for us today. I was very impressed by his words, which were meaningful and inspirational. Rabbi Schwarz's father fled Germany right before Kristallnacht and arrived to America on the St. Louis, the final voyage of that ship that arrived safely in America. The next voyage would be turned back to Nazi Europe as the passengers could see Miami and their fate was set. Rabbi Schwarz, like the skillful rabbi he is, used his personal story as a message about the importance of welcoming in refugees. He did it in a very dignified way and I feel honored that he was chosen to speak at the reception we attended.

Manny and Lauren Lindenbaum, Michelle Obama, President Obama and Rabbi Sid Schwarz

The rich history of The White House was palpable for me as Elissa and I sat on the sofas and touched the doorknobs. I had the opportunity to speak to a woman who was serving glasses of wine. She told me that she began working at The White House a few days following the assassination of President Kennedy, and that while she left her job for a few years she felt compelled to return because it was so rewarding. At the end of the evening we walked over to the windows in the Blue Room and looked out onto the Ellipse as we could see the National Menorah, the National Christmas Tree, and the Washington Monument. It was a moment we'll never forget.

Finally, the part about this experience I will cherish the most is what it means to me as an American to be able to celebrate a Jewish holiday in The White House. Our world is a very dark place right now with a scary amount of hate, violence and divisiveness. There are so many countries in which it is no longer safe to be Jewish, and yet, in its 240th year the United States of America opens the doors of "The People's House" to the Jewish community so we may celebrate our religious holiday in which we bring light into the world. With great humility, I feel truly blessed and honored to have been included in this memorable experience.

Video of the menorah lighting ceremony at The White House Hanukkah Reception 2015:

2015 Best Hanukkah Videos

Hanukkah begins this Sunday at sundown and for those of you keeping track, this will be the 11th Hanukkah holiday observed since YouTube.com launched back in 2005. That means there have been countless entertaining and amusing Hanukkah-themed videos. 2015 has been a good year for Hanukkah parody videos and I'm sure there will be a few more released during Hanukkah (and I'll add those as they're released).

Here's my annual list of the top Hanukkah videos this year (and if you thought I wasn't going to put Adam Sandler's "Chanukah Song Part 4" first, you'd have been mistaken!):


Adam Sandler - Chanukah Song Part 4

The Maccabeats - Latke Recipe - Hanukkah

(Bonus: Get the Maccabeats' Perfect Latke recipe)



Blau Bright Productions - Shalom (Adele's "Hello")

Erez Cohen & Six13 - A One Direction Hanukkah

Ari Goldwag and Sheves Chaverim - Hanukkah - Shir Ushvacha

Jimmy Kimmel Live - Jake Owen’s Chanukah Album

Julie Geller - The Spark (Hanukkah Song)

Hanukkah Song 2015 - Fighting The Darkness

Shir Soul - Hanukkah: Lift Yourself Up

Mark Zuckerberg's Letter to His Baby Daughter is His Vision for the Future

No matter how much money each of us donated yesterday on what has come to be known as Giving Tuesday, it certainly wasn’t as large a charitable commitment as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan made. On the occasion of the birth of their daughter, Max, yesterday the couple pledged to donate 99% of their stock shares of Facebook (currently about $45 billion) during their lifetimes to improve the world for the next generation.

While this level of charitable pledging is unmatched (Warren Buffet, Bill Gates and Eli Broad have been very successful in getting many billionaires to commit to donating 50% of their fortunes during their lifetime), I was more interested in two other aspects of the Zuckerberg-Chan family’s public announcement.

First, I found their open letter to their newborn daughter to be extremely meaningful and inspirational. I too penned (or rather typed) letters to each of my children on the day of their birth. So many people wait until they’re close to death to sit down and write an ethical will to their children. A truly important time to do this exercise is on the highly emotional first day of our child’s life.

In Zuckerberg’s letter to his daughter, he wrote:

Your mother and I don’t yet have the words to describe the hope you give us for the future. Your new life is full of promise, and we hope you will be happy and healthy so you can explore it fully. You’ve already given us a reason to reflect on the world we hope you live in. Like all parents, we want you to grow up in a world better than ours today. 

While headlines often focus on what’s wrong, in many ways the world is getting better. Health is improving. Poverty is shrinking. Knowledge is growing. People are connecting. Technological progress in every field means your life should be dramatically better than ours today. We will do our part to make this happen, not only because we love you, but also because we have a moral responsibility to all children in the next generation. We believe all lives have equal value, and that includes the many more people who will live in future generations than live today. Our society has an obligation to invest now to improve the lives of all those coming into this world, not just those already here.

The second part of the Zuckerberg-Chan family’s letter that struck me was that it was filled with hope for the future, but also a genuine concern. As a father, I’ve been thinking very seriously about these issues over the past several years as well. Before my first child was born almost twelve years ago, I envisioned a world for him without racism, without war and without terrorism precipitated by hatred. As my children have grown from infants to toddlers to pre-teens, I’ve watched sadly as there has been more hate and evil in our world. No doubt, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, likewise, wish to envision a world for their newborn daughter in which peace and love dominate.

This beautiful letter by Zuckerberg not only articulates his hopes and prayers for his daughter, but it also is a clear and poignant testament to the world he is willing to help create through his personal wealth. We should all be grateful to Zuckerberg and Chan for their devotion to the next generation and to ensuring that our children’s and grandchildren’s lives will be better than our own lives. Mazel Tov on the birth or Max Zuckerberg and thank you for your commitment to the future.

The Syrian Refugee Debate Takes to Social Media: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

In the era of Facebook, controversial topics play out in various ways on the social networking site and it's often not pretty. Such has been the case with the ongoing debate over whether the United States should accept Syrian refugees in the wake of the tragic terrorism acts in Paris.

While Syrian refugees have been seeking safe harbor in several countries over the past few years, the debate here in America has escalated in recent weeks and turned into divisive political arguments. A majority of U.S. governors have publicly voiced their opposition to providing asylum to the Syrian migrants even though immigration remains a federal issue. The debate has also become a litmus test for the presidential candidates and their views on domestic security.


FITS OF FURY ON FACEBOOK

Facebook, with its free accounts and ability to weigh in on anything in a public forum, has provided bully pulpits to anyone with an internet connection at home, at the office or on their smartphone. Now, as soon as someone offers their opinion in the form of a Facebook post as to whether the U.S. should welcome Syrian refugees, that post quickly becomes an explosive back-and-forth among commentators from every demographic and political affiliation.

After Michigan's governor, Rick Snyder, reversed his earlier position in support of Michigan welcoming Syrian refugees, debates on the social network started by local residents turned into tempestuous back-and-forth arguments with each side posting links to articles in support of their opinion on the matter. Analogies to the U.S. closing its doors to Jewish refugees in the 1930's were quickly rebuffed by those arguing that allowing the Syrian migrants into our country would lead to domestic terrorism. Others cited statistics showing the majority of terrorist attacks were caused by those affiliated with Islam. These posts garnered hundreds of comments with both sides vehemently concerned about the issues they prioritize, whether the security of our country and the refugee screening process or the ethical considerations of turning away hopeless women and young children in need of shelter.

The Jewish community, with its strong values, remains divided on these issues as evidenced by the outpouring of strongly held viewpoints on Facebook. Some descendents of those who were turned back to Europe in the 1930s took the position that the U.S. must use its moral compass and not transgress as it did before the Holocaust. Others called such a comparison preposterous as the Jewish immigrants from Europe eighty years ago posed no threat to American citizens. On such a contentious issue, strong disagreements are bound to occur online. Several such Facebook debates over the Syrian refugee topic led to Facebook users blocking each other, even those who are friends in real life.

In many instances, the Facebook discussion space has proven to be detrimental to open and honest dialogue with regard to the Syrian refugee crisis, but surely there are some positive outcomes from Facebook in this matter.