Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue

Remembering 9/11

“Twenty-five years have passed since 9/11. How shall we mark this anniversary of infamy?” asks Rabbi Ammi Hirsch on Rosh Hashanah. “We saw the best and the worst of peopl

Of Revolutions and Rebellions

Today, June 19th, marks the day emancipation finally reached the slaves of Galveston, Texas. It wasn’t the exact day they were freed, a descendant of the slaves recalled,

Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism: Clarity, Courage and Moral Leadership

“We are the leaders. We must lead. We must be proactive. It is harder now. These are times that try our souls and test our convictions,” said Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch […]

Finding Happiness in the Wilderness of Life

Rabbi Hirsch points out, “Judaism teaches that God placed us in a world of unending challenges. Over and over our tradition reminded us – that – for one reason or […]

Roald Dahl on Broadway

The new Broadway play about acclaimed children’s author Roald Dahl struck our Rabbi Ammi Hirsch as exceedingly relevant to our times. The same language and arguments Dahl

The Week That Was

“These are critical and fateful times” says Rabbi Ammi Hirsch.  “Even a hundred years from now, historians will write about these very days.”  Despite this sentiment, Rab

Life in Death Valley

The sight of wildflowers blooming in Death Valley is a symbol of our times, beautifully articulated by Rabbi Rifkin, who expresses that, “these Death Valley wildflowers g

Seconds From Carnage

“We gather today because it is Shabbat. On some level, to be a Jew is itself an act of defiance,” says Rabbi Ammi Hirsch, who expressed relief — and immense […]

On the Iran War

Rabbi Hirsch says emphatically that, “the Iranian threat is not only military, economic, and political. It is also ideological. We must grapple seriously with the ramific

Skin in the Game

Most people think Exodus is about “slavery, the ten plagues, the splitting of the Sea, and the Ten Commandments,” says Rabbi Ammi Hirsch. But “a full third is about the [

The Era of American Vertigo

Rabbi Ammi Hirsch sees New York’s icy streets as a good metaphor for America today. “The stability under our feet that we have always taken for granted seems much less […

On Life in America Today

As America has faced crisis after crisis — with attacks on the Federal Reserve and the courts, and masked, heavily armed federal agents patrolling the streets — Rabbi Amm

Bondi Beach

“When we kindle the last light of the menorah, the sun will be at its peak down under. But for our people, even the glow of the full menorah will […]

Pay Attention

“Our tendency — like the frog in the pot — is not to notice changes until events reach a boiling point,” says Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch. One overlooked verse in this […]

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

“I recall the many learned and optimistic thought pieces in the early days of social media that proclaimed the dawn of a new and better world. We now understand that […]

On the Election of Zohran Mamdani

Rabbi Ammi Hirsch congratulates New York City Mayor-elect Zohran K. Mamdani and applauds the democratic process while reiterating his deep concern over the future mayor’s

Our Three Names: A Message to the Young Jews of America

On Yom Kippur, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch addresses young Jews directly, urging them to embrace the burden and privilege of carrying Jewish life forward: “You are our future… my

Hopefully

On Erev Yom Kippur, Rabbi Ammi Hirsch ponders the nature of hope in these dark times and urges us to reject “syrupy saccharine” optimism and instead embrace the active, J

Two Years On

On Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Ammi Hirsch reflects on the lasting wounds of October 7 and the burden of living with both power and vulnerability. He urges us to be, as […]

The Tug-of-War Inside Ourselves

Underneath the Torah’s rules of war lies a deeper message about how we should wage our own internal struggles, says Rabbi Ammi Hirsch. “We are who we are in part […]