This morning I had the privilege of delivering The Opening Invocation at The 2011 AIPAC National Summit in Phoenix, AZ. The day featured Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano who delivered an incredible strong message of friendship, cooperation and support in the fight against Terrorism with Israel. We also heard from former US Ambassador to The UN John Bolton who sent a decisive warning of what would happen if Iran acquires nuclear weapons. The session concluded with an incredible panel featuring Israeli technological innovations.

Click HERE to watch a video of the invocation.

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The events that we witnessed early this morning are nothing short of a miracle. Gilad Shalit, kidnapped on June 2006 by Hamas Terrorists who infiltrated Israel, is now back home with his family. I call the events miraculous because no other People in the world would be willing to pay such a tremendous price for the release and return of one of its children. This past Saturday Morning, during services I spoke extensively on this subject (you can listen by clicking here!) and I am convinced that one of the most important characteristics that we possess as a People is the tremendous reverence that we have for life!

Lost in the tremendously emotionally charged moments that we experienced in the past hours is the little known fact that over the last sixty three years of its young history, Israel has freed 13,509 prisoners in order to win the release of a total of 16 soldiers. An average of well over 800 for each one. Seeing Gilad Shalit walk out of that hell, seeing him smile and embrace his parents is worth EVERYTHING… It says it all. We can’t allow the number of terrorists that we hold in jail dictate the nature of the destiny of our people!
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Sukkot is without any doubt my favorite Holy Day.  Why? Well, I get a very special kind of joy by dwelling in the Sukkah.  For me it has never been about fragility.  It has always been about balance.  Have you ever wondered why we don’t celebrate Passover in The Sukkah.  That’s right… doesn’t it seem like a good idea to hold our Sedarim inside The Sukkah?  After all, that is the structure we dwelt in for forty years as we journeyed through the wilderness… and the wilderness experience was a direct result from The Exodus!  If you think about it, Pesah is about who we were and what we became but Sukkot is entirely about the future, about who we will become once we enter our land.

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Lately I have been thinking a lot about what happiness is and what it means. Am I happy? Should that be the ultimate goal in my life? Truth be told, the more I seek an answer the more it eludes me… This is what I think I know: Happiness is found in deep, profound emotions like love and kindness. As we approach Yom Kippur let us be mindful of one thing regarding happiness; Sometimes our quest to be happy shatters the dreams, aspirations and happiness of those around us. May our quest for self fulfillment and “happiness” never turn into another person’s nightmare!

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Just the other day I found myself telling the story of one of my daughter Ari’s friends who came to our home for a play date and instead of saying Hello to me she proceeded to recite with full conviction the following: “Felipe… I just want you to know that today I am going to make good choices!”  I was shocked, I had never heard up until that moment a more concise and beautiful introduction to The Month of Elul!  From the mouth of a small child I found some of the most compelling wisdom I had heard in years.  Imagine if for only one day we would dismiss hypocrisy, diplomacy and masterful acting and we greeted others, even those whom we don’t particularly like with a statement that embraces the conviction that every action we perform, every word we speak has an ultimate consequence.  I think we would find ourselves being kinder, gentler and more understanding and appreciative of others.

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I am writing this brief thought at the end of Memorial Day.  Truth be told, I believe that Memorial Day is one of the most important days in our calendar.  As American Jews we are no strangers to the sacrifice of those who gave their lives so that we can enjoy the blessings of freedom, liberty and justice.  I waited until the end of the day to write this message because I wanted to make sure that the images; the stories, the tears and the pride were fresh in my mind and in my heart.

The ideals that America stands for and represents are part of the ideals that we as Jews have treasured for thousands of years.  We understand what living in peace and prosperity means but we also understand that sometimes, before there can be peace the world needs to be returned to its proper balance.  One of the reasons why Memorial Day is so compelling to me is because those who sacrificed their lives throughout the confines of space and time, in distant shores and close to home, did it so that our children wouldn’t have to sacrifice theirs.

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This past Monday Night, May 23, 2011, Nevada’s Senator Harry Reid (Senate Majority Leader) delivered an incredibly powerful speech in front of the over ten thousand pro-Israel supporters that came together at The Washington D.C. Convention Center for The 2011 AIPAC Policy Conference.

Senator Reid’s speech was a landmark speech that clearly evidenced the strong relation and unbreakable bond that exists between Israel and The United States.

I urge you to take the time to watch or read this important speech by one of our own US Senators.  Besides Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Speech and President Obama’s Speech.  Senator Reid’s speech had the most important content of anything we heard at the beginning of the week in our Nation’s Capital.

Please click HERE to access a video of the speech or to read the entire transcript.

To view or access the speech from your smartphone, please scan the QR code.

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May 21, 2011
Motzei Shabbat 18 yar, 5771
Washington, DC

Last Thursday and Friday, May 19 and 20, 2011 will turn out to be days where history for The Jewish People was made. I decided not to immediately react to President Obama’s speech on his vision for peace in The Middle East. Why? Well, for one I am sure that just like me you received tens of emails with varied statements embracing different views and interpretations on what was said by The President. Everyone, and I do mean everyone decided to be the first to react and share his or her thoughts with the world in what seemed to be a competition to see who could get a statement out quicker. I was reminded of Jackie Mason’s famous line: “In time like these, every… becomes a philosopher!”

I will waste no time or ink in dwelling on what everyone has already said, rather, I would like to share with you my thoughts on the genesis of the situation we are facing. I am not at all surprised in The President’s decision to completely reverse and disregard previous American Foreign Policy regarding Israel. Do you remember President Obama’s Cairo speech? In his Cairo Speech, the President shared his vision with The Arab World on why Israel needs to exist and in doing so he perpetuated one of the greatest myths and injustices of history. He articulated the need for Israel to exist based on the suffering of The Jewish People and our persecution in Europe. He mentioned The Holocaust as a turning point in history and in doing so he gave The Arab World exactly what they have always wanted, a partner in delegitimizing Israel!

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When was the last time a TV commercial for an airline brought tears to your eyes?  For me it happened yesterday.  It was early in the morning when I first saw El Al’s new commercial celebrating Israel’s sixty three years of Statehood.  This time of the year, right after Yom Hashoah and standing right at the heels of Yom Hazikaron and Yom Hatzmaut I find myself in an unusual state of mind.

At the end of Nisan and beginning of Iyar we remember who we are, we weep as we collectively revisit the dark moments of history and rejoice in the promise and reality of what Israel represents both physically and spiritually.  All in about ten days.
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Let me begin this column by admitting to something that I am guilty of.  Very often it takes me more than a couple of months to catch on to the latest social trends.  Sometimes I have a hard time simply giving in to frenzy or joining the crowd in watching, celebrating or participating in something just because everyone else is doing it.  No, I am not talking about life altering events for members of our congregation or our community but rather about the type of thing that the world decides is “in” or must be experienced!  Take for example The Royal Wedding.  When my wife told me she planned on waking up at one in the morning to watch six uninterrupted hours of “The Royals” parading through the streets of London, my reaction was not the best.  I really have nothing against The Queen of England or Prince Charles or any of them but as you can understand it is simply not my thing.  I have always questioned the need for Monarchs in a democratic society.  I have always been awe struck by the tremendous amount of wealth it takes to finance the Royal lifestyle!  When you compound the fact that Monarchs believe that they were appointed by no other than God to rule over others, you completely loose my attention!

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