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Voices

Miracles and the chances of a lifetime

Are the outcomes of our lives, like the arc of a spinning Chanukah dreidel, governed by miracle or chance? If they are, my family landed on Gimmel.

Dutch city posthumously honours Jewish leader

On Oct. 24, the Dutch city of Den Bosch celebrated 75 years of liberation from the Nazis by honouring my grandfather, the musician and composer Simon Spiero, who had been the leader of the Jewish community.

Our house is on fire. I want you to panic

Is our house on fire? Yes, the planet is warming up at an alarming rate and human activity is the cause. Are we panicking? Only a few people are. Mostly it is business as usual, even for governments that profess to be fighting climate change.

Towards a more just society

As we open our pockets to give Tzedakah, let us also do our share to advocate for a more just society, for Tzedek, another fundamental Jewish value.

Unnecessary qualifying phrases

Our use of language says so much about us. If we are sloppy speakers, are we sloppy thinkers?