Getting up at two in the morning to head to work is never fun, of that I am certain. Yet, this morning in Bakersfield, California, could not have been more fun, more interesting or even more meaningful. We flew in late from Georgia, and landed at about six thirty Pacific time, having first worked all […]
“Zachor Et Asher Asa Lecha Amalek BaDerech Betzetchem MiMitzrayim”, or “Remember what Amalek did to you on your way out of Egypt!” (Deuteronomy 25:17). On Saturday, March 3, 2009, during the Sabbath prayers, Jewish worshippers listened to the portion known as Parshat Zachor (The Chapter of Remembrance). God commanded Jews to never forget the deeds […]
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Things I learned from the Fire
Reputations take a lifetime to build, yet only a mere second to tear down; and media is relentless in the pursuit of destruction. The way of the world is such, as excitement sells subscriptions and ad space. In public relations, happy stories are considered fluff, or “feel good” items, hawking tales of babies and puppies […]
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You Only Live Twice
Here I am up at 4AM watching the off variety of entertainment offerings scattered about 5000 channels on Dish Network. With a lot on my mind, I stirred until I just woke up. Unable to go back to sleep, I decided to attempt to write my thoughts down in the hopes of making sense of […]
I recently took an amazing trip to Middle America to see how genuine grass roots efforts come together to help others in time of need. It was cold that morning in Cincinnati, Ohio, when we arrived at 5 AM to help and thank volunteers as they unloaded an 18-wheeler refrigerated trailer filled with food from […]
In synagogue today, my rabbi took the occasion of his weekly sermon to talk about the weekly Torah portion of Yitro (Exodus 18:1-20:23). While all of the Ten Commandments were indeed discussed, he paid close attention to the part about honoring ones parents. Very poignantly, I recall, he said that it is a commandment that […]
Traveling for my new job has become somewhat of a routine – for me. Out three to four days, home the rest. That takes a toll. While not little anymore, the kids need dinner, help with their homework and, even though they get wrapped up on their phones, text messaging their friends, and multitasking on […]
Spending time in small town America, coming from New York, I believe I took some things for granted. Lately, I have been getting to know a side of the country that I don’t believe many people see, and what they think they know, often tends to be stereotypes derived from pop culture and media. Sure, […]
When the House passed the $819 stimulus package, they did it based on the presumption that sending more money to the average person, through resources such as expanded unemployment benefits, reduced payroll taxes, money for childcare and $20 billion for food stamps. The conventional wisdom on these kinds of give-backs is that through these benefits, […]
I was sitting at a service tonight listening to a dear friend Linda talk passionately about the importance of tough love for our children. Listening to her personal story of her own kids, her nephew, and how raising them to be the decent men they are today wasn’t always an easy trip, I reflected on […]
Juda Engelmayer's Blog 