The Assumptions We Make theurbanrabbi.org/2023/01/08/the…

Justice, Mercy, and Joy theurbanrabbi.org/2023/02/24/jus…

Me: Did you see the creator of Dilbert is racist? My Wife: No big surprise. It’s about lazy white guys trying to avoid work at the office.

Awakening from the Dream: Martin Luther King and the Meaning(s) of a Life theurbanrabbi.org/2023/04/16/awa…

Got to meet ER Shipp, one of my journalism heroes, last night at the #KingALife book event in Baltimore. What an honor!

What a great evening! Thanks to Jonathan Eig Donte Hickman and the Tzedek Beth Am team for a powerful and important conversation. So glad attendees were also able to support @urbanreadsbooks !

What a terrific and powerful evening! Honored to host Jonathan Eig and Donte Hickman for #AwakeningFromtheDream. Check out King: A Life!

I’ve been Onionized!

Inside the ultra-Orthodox Operation to Bring Cholent to Israel's Troops I went down south with a group of Haredi volunteers bringing traditional Jewish dishes to IDF soldiers on the Gaza border. This is my report for Haaretz.com haaretz.com/israel-news/20…

At Beth Am Synagogue Saturday, Rav Daniel Burg related Maimonides' teaching on impulsiveness to MD youth justice policy: "Impulsivity is destructive, even dangerous, when in leads to bad policy, and that's what I fear could be happening right now in Annapolis." youtube.com/watch?v=fXEqYn…

Rabbi Burg cited Bill Ferguson's words at a press conference announcing his new juvenile justice bill: "While youth account for less than 10% of the crimes committed, unfortunately, it is clear that they've become the largest part of the crime perception challenge in MD," adding

"To my mind it begs a question: If the problem is crime perception, if the problem is how we think about our youth, wouldn't courageous leadership in this moment challenge those false assumptions, to help MD residents recalibrate perceptions to match reality?" Wouldn't it indeed.

Four Baltimore-area clergy weigh in on the juvenile justice debate in Annapolis marylandmatters.org/2024/02/23/com…

Rabbi Daniel Burg, Bishop JL Carter, Imam Earl El-Amin, and Rev. Marlon Tilghman on proposed youth justice bill: "[T]his legislation responds more to the perception of youth crime than to empirical evidence about what is in the best interests of our communities and our children."

בלי העולם, יהיה בסדר.

Sat with faith leaders from across the city for lunch yesterday to discuss the work we’re doing today to help Baltimore achieve its full potential. We have seen a lot of progress in our squeegee efforts, reducing violence, and tackling vacants.

Mazel tov to Zeke Cohen on his inauguration as the first Jewish Baltimore City Council President in over 40 years. Great speech today (and perfect pronunciation of hutzpah!)

Our “I Can’t be Bothered” Moment open.substack.com/pub/theurbanra…

open.substack.com/pub/theurbanra… sourcesjournal.org/articles/the-e… Here's my new essay in Shalom Hartman Institute Sources. My argument is that we must both uplift the work of social justice and challenge assumptions about why and how we do it — especially the language we use to talk about it!