It is not often that I feel so inspired by a group of people that I feel uncomfortable with the fact that I am not more like them. Yet this is what happened this week in Boulder, Colorado. Late last year Dr Harry Moody, former Director of Academic Affairs for…
Category: Personal
My Father My True Jewish Hero
The Jewish Community Hero contest is now in high gear. This wonderful initiative by The Jewish Federations of North America is now in its third season. This year I was nominated as a hero. It is somewhat embarrassing to note that whist there are many nominees that have a thousand…
The Ghost in my Synagogue
In Colorado there are plenty of opportunities for spooky experiences—in fact a local bed and breakfast offers a luxurious mountain experience in its haunted house. Personally I have a healthy dose of skepticism towards ghost stories. But I do believe in the paranormal. In fact Judaism believes that ghosts exist…
New York Times Feature on Jewish Wisdom for Business Success
Writers Say the Torah Holds Key to Success in Business — By ALLEN SALKIN (New York Times) The authors of the new book “Jewish Wisdom for Business Success” (Amacom, 2008), have had a hard time attracting attention from any media outlets, despite their provocative title. The big exception: Christian radio….
A Botched Job yet So Full of Meaning
Ki Tisa was my Bar Mitzvah portion. It always brings back memories of the most embarrassing experience of my life and simultaneously the cause of the most important lesson I have ever learned. As a rebellious twelve-year-old, I refused to go to Bar Mitzvah lessons. Instead I insisted that I…
Dr Derek Brackman OBM
My father, Dr. Derek Brackman, passed away in his sleep in the fall of 2004. His passing was very sudden and totally unexpected; I was shocked and devastated. Dad was a person who knew what he wanted. He knew that he wanted to become a scientist from the age of…