I’m writing these words from my middle school office at The Davis Academy, Atlanta’s Reform Jewish Day School. And as I write, I can hear activity all around me. Chairs being moved in the classroom above me. The Front Desk phone ringing as parents come to grab their kids for end-of-day doctors’ appointments, student athletes […]
Education
A Daily Miracle
Today was the first day of pre-planning for the faculty and staff of The Davis Academy. A number of us “report” to Davis year-round, but the majority of our faculty came “back to school” today energized from a well-deserved summer break. Mingling at our opening breakfast, attending various meetings and other pre-planning activities, I […]
Thoughts for the 2016-2017 School Year
As a rabbi, Jewish day school administrator, and parent of a rising kindergartener and preschooler, I found myself eagerly anticipating the start of the 2016-2017 school year. Here are some thoughts that are on my mind during this great season known as “back to school.” I write a column like this on an annual basis, […]
Will you still love me tomorrow?
Last month my wife, Rabbi Loren Filson Lapidus, and I saw “Beautiful” at the Fox Theatre here in Atlanta. The show captivated me because, like Carol King, I’m a songwriter/composer. The creative tension writing incredibly personal music that is then performed by other people– that’s something I’ve thought a lot about. I’d LOVE to chat […]
Merrick Garland’s Supreme Court Nomination Acceptance Speech
I happened to be in my car when President Obama announced that Merrick Garland was his nominee to the Supreme Court. Purely by coincidence I heard Garland’s acceptance speech which tells the immigration story of his family as well as explains how his parents instilled values in him and his sisters. Setting politics aside, the […]
3 Lions 3 Opinions
I saw these lions on display at The Davis Academy Lower School alongside about a dozen others. As I looked at them I was overwhelmed by the different emotions each conveyed. What emotions do you see? I wonder if we see the same. Emmanuel Levinas, the Jewish philosopher, wrote extensively about the power of the […]