Happy new year to you and your family! May it be a year of meaning, fulfillment, good health, joy, prosperity, and peace for all of us.

Sadly, this is not how I expected to start the year.

The new year arrived with news of a terrorist attack in New Orleans. It has been reported that Shamsud Din Jabbar drove a truck into a crowd in New Orleans on Wednesday morning, killing 15 and injuring dozens more, before he was fatally shot by police. According to the FBI, he was inspired by the Islamic State and carried an ISIS flag in his truck. 

Police are also investigating whether there are links between the New Orleans attack and a Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas, in which the driver had shot himself and seven others were injured. 

Robert French, President of the New Orleans Jewish Federation, shared, “We are a strong community - shocked and anxious. Rooting for the wellbeing of all the injured and mourning the dead.”

Last Sunday, President Jimmy Carter passed away at the age of 100. President Carter was a man of deep faith. He was a state legislator and naval officer who went on to serve one term as Georgia’s governor and then elected president in 1976. His administration was marked by high inflation and energy shortages at home and increasing instability abroad.

In September 1978, President Carter convened Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat at Camp David for nearly two weeks of secretive talks that would result in a peace treaty between the two countries the following year. Begin and Sadat jointly won the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize for the agreement. 

Years later, however, he would have a more complex relationship with Israel. Carter became increasingly critical of Israel. He wrote dozens of books after leaving office, including, in 2006, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, which generated controversy over his characterization of Israel’s actions in the West Bank and Gaza. 

Some say he was more famous after he was president for his humanitarian work around the world, including receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. During his Nobel speech, he said, “The bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and prejudices.” These are words he lived by -- "choosing hope and common purpose over conflict and discord, time and again."

I happened to meet President Carter multiple times while a student at Emory University (The Carter Center partnered with the university). The first time was on my way off a tennis court. It was my first year at school, and my roommate and I went to play tennis. Little did we know that 30 minutes later we would be asked to leave the court. We had no idea why. As we walked off, who was at the gate ready to enter – Roslyn and President Carter. They came to play -- and the secret service had to clear all the courts. President Carter was gracious enough to apologize for interrupting our game. Two secret service agents went inside the court (do you think they had to pick up the balls?) while others surrounded the outside. 

Better yet, as a student in the Near Eastern Studies Department, President Carter would lecture in my classes. Ken Stein was my professor, and he also served as the Middle East Fellow of the Carter Center. You can read Dr. Stein’s perspective from the Jerusalem Postabout President Carter. 

President Carter always seemed candid and warm. He would speak without notes and you could sense his broad knowledge on any topic. He was humble and thoughtful. And whether you agreed with his politics, policies, or views of the world, he had deep conviction in what he believed. May his memory be for a blessing.

The Associated Press reported on Syria’s nine-member Jewish community (Syria was once home to one of the world’s largest Jewish communities), following restored access to Jewish sites around the country after the fall of the Assad regime. It is quite an interesting story for this historic Jewish community. 

Here is a fun article from The Atlantic on “77 facts that blew our minds in 2024.”

As a reminder, we are partnering with the Minneapolis Jewish Federation for a webinar called, “Become Engaged: The Challenges of Inter-Generational Conversations About Israel” on Tuesday, January 7 at 5:00 p.m. Register here. 

Parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, famously disagree about Israel. Our generations talk past one another with deep conviction, emotion, and passion. We hear words like "Zionist," "anti-Zionist," "human shields," "genocide," "self-preservation," "settler-colonialism," "hostages," and "humanitarian." There are plenty more. 

In the history of these conversations, has there ever been a single instance where one generation convinced the other or one generation changed the other generation’s mind? 

This question [of Israel] is not theoretical. It is real. It is personal. These difficult conversations are shared by countless families. Join us for an engaging conversation, led by Rabbi Wesley Gardenswartz, senior rabbi of Temple Emanuel in Newton, Massachusetts, about the challenges of inter-generational conversations about Israel. 

At the risk of angering many readers, I often see flags on houses, bumper stickers, etc. saying “A House Divided.” And on them you will see University of Oregon and Oregon State University logos (or other schools with major rivalries). Well, my house is divided into quarters. I went to a school with no football team. My daughter went to a school where the Quidditch (from Harry Potter) team was more important than the football team. My son goes to Oregon State University. And my wife is a very proud graduate of The Ohio State University. 

So, to keep peace in my house and to share my wife’s excitement (while upsetting the University of Oregon faithful), GO BUCKS and win the national championship to start off 2025.

Once again, a very happy and healthy new year and Shabbat shalom.