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Rabbi Dave
Strike up a conversation - Rabbi Dave personally responds to all replies!

Recent News

As Our Children Grow
November 18, 2024
For the last 20 years, my mother and I have debated whether I was an
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Is This the Year to Give Jewish?
November 12, 2024
The past year has deeply changed how American Jews relate to their
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Do I Renounce Satan?
November 3, 2024
I've been getting a lot of hate mail lately. From people on the right
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Are You The One Who Got Away?
October 29, 2024
A few weeks ago I got on an elevator and standing right there was an old
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October 7, one year later
October 7, 2024
I was in our local synagogue in Los Angeles a year ago today, when the
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Embracing Change in a Changing World
October 2, 2024
Every year as Rosh Hashanah approaches, I try to carve out time for deep
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The Balancing Act Continues
September 4, 2024
Over the summer, we waited with bated breath to see to what extent, if
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Front Row Seats
August 8, 2024
A few years ago I started noticing how the first two rows of every
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?Nobody cares, work harder."
July 24, 2024
I'm a basketball junkie and much of my thought process happens in terms of
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A Jewish Fourth
July 4, 2024
A few months ago I was walking to a meeting in Midtown, NYC and saw a
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My Shtetl
June 28, 2024
The shtetl, those quaint little Jewish towns dotting the landscape in
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JGO's Bar Mitzvah Speech
June 20, 2024
When we founded JGO with 15 UCLA MBA students back in 2011, we dreamed ?
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Going to Shul with Taylor Swift
May 17, 2024
I recently passed a church here in Los Angeles and its sign caught my eye:
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Coming from Campus
May 2, 2024
I'm reaching out to you from the heart of UCLA's campus, where the events
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Our Students Need Your Voice on Campus, Now
April 25, 2024
These last few days have been an especially harrowing experience to be a
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Passover: We Control Our Own Narrative
April 19, 2024
It's past 1:00 am on a random Saturday night a few weeks ago, and I got
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Esther in the Workplace
March 22, 2024
In two weeks, I'll be meeting up in Chicago with an alumna from 9 years
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Still a Piano Man at Heart
March 15, 2024
I recently listened to an interview with the legendary Billy Joel and
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Saying Good Shabbos to Rambo
January 24, 2024
This past Friday night was a huge milestone for our organization. To kick
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JGO Fall 2023 Semester in Review
December 20, 2023
With most of our students now headed home for winter break, our community
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Keep on Spinning
December 10, 2023
It takes a lot to shock me, but on the first night of Hanukkah my teenage
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Does Antisemitism Depend on the Context?
December 6, 2023
For the last eight weeks, our organization has engaged in hundreds of
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Ignoring the Noise, Giving Thanks
November 22, 2023
A year ago, JGO ditched our expensive office lease and joined a coworking
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1 Month Later: JGO Campus Update and How You Can Help
November 14, 2023
From the White House, to Wall Street, to Ivy League boardrooms, everyone
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The On-Ramp: Our Vision Comes Together
November 12, 2023
This past week I attended our JGO Connect mixer in New York City. We
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Jew vs. TikTok?
November 8, 2023
When I was a freshman in college, I took a debate class. The final debate
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Re-evaluating Our Friendships
November 1, 2023
For the first time in most of our lifetimes, Jews in the United States are
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My Classmate the Anti-Semite
October 27, 2023
For the first time in my 17 years as a rabbi in the field, every major
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Dancing Through Our Tears
October 23, 2023
As many have, I've experienced a rollercoaster of emotions these past few
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Meet the Grad Students Facing Antisemitism, and How You Can Help Them
October 20, 2023
I just got back from NYC this morning, where I spent time with our
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Feeling Jewish
October 17, 2023
I first heard about last weekend's massacres in Israel while in synagogue.
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We Won't Be Bullied
October 13, 2023
"Sticks and stones may break your bones but words will never hurt you."
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Security Update
October 12, 2023
There are a million thoughts floating around in my mind about what to
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Update: Israel Crisis Comes to Campus
October 10, 2023
The last few days have been harrowing for the entire Jewish community, but
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JGSI/JGO Message on Situation in Israel
October 9, 2023
The events that have taken place in the last 36 hours in Israel are
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The Shop Around the Corner Closes
September 14, 2023
For the last 99 years, my wife's family has owned a men's clothing store
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Kobe Went Right Back to Work
August 30, 2023
There's a story about Kobe Bryant's legendary work ethic that always stood
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Cardi B. and Her Jewish Lawyers
August 11, 2023
It seems like every week or so another celebrity gets in trouble for
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AI vs. Rabbi
July 21, 2023
I recently read about a Rabbi who shocked his congregation by announcing
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JGSI 2022-23 Update: A Year of Growth and Evolution
June 22, 2023
As our family packs their suitcases for our humid summer living experience
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Uber for grad students?
June 8, 2023
Sometimes being a father to teenage daughters is very similar to driving
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George the Piano Mover
May 24, 2023
I was recently driving down the highway when I noticed a truck alongside
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Our Own Haggadah
April 5, 2023
Like many Jews around the world, these past few nights I've been up late
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We've Got Depth!
March 17, 2023
As a Rabbi, I'm often consulted by our alumni about their relationship
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Too Quick to Judge
February 28, 2023
One of my family's favorite things about Shabbat is hosting guests from
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Finding Your Roots, or Rejecting Them?
February 16, 2023
On the treadmill recently, I came across a great show: "Finding Your
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An Update on Our Progress
February 10, 2023
I am excited to update you on the remarkable growth and progress JGSI has
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My Secret Admiration for Xmas
December 8, 2022
As the father to five daughters, I get dragged into shopping often. So for
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Pardoning the Turkey
November 24, 2022
The annual ritual of the President of the United States pardoning a
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From Startup to Scale Up
November 17, 2022
For the past 11 years, JGSI's growth has been miraculous. From one
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Kanye and Jewish Vulnerability
November 7, 2022
I've been traveling a lot the last few weeks, visiting grad campuses,
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Yom Kippur 2022: Never Stop Growing
October 4, 2022
Back in high school, I loved every second of playing for the school
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A Home for Jewish Grad Students
September 9, 2022
I'm from Brooklyn, New York. When people today picture Brooklyn, they
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Are We "Big Enough"?
August 2, 2022
I recently met with a foundation who, after hearing about JGSI's massive
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Summer of George
June 29, 2022
When, in the classic Seinfeld episode "Summer of George", George Costanza
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Not Just the CEO
June 10, 2022
Back in the 80s there used to be these commercials for Hair Club for Men,
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JGSI End of Semester Update
May 24, 2022
I hope you are well! As the 2021-22 academic year draws to a close, we are
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The Fresh Prince of Egypt
April 14, 2022
Like most Americans my age, I can rattle off all the lyrics to the Fresh
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For a Time Like This
March 17, 2022
A courageous Jewish leader reaches the halls of power in the most unlikely
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Elevating My Elevator Pitch
February 18, 2022
When JGSI launched in 2011, I was the only employee, and solely
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Worst. Year. Ever? JGSI End of Semester Update
December 27, 2021
I saw a headline yesterday that according to some random survey, half of
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The Light Back Home
December 1, 2021
I just returned home from an incredibly special trip to Israel with Shira,
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My Retirement from Comedy
November 18, 2021
My entire life I dreamed about being a comedian. When we started JGSI 10
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The Proof Is in the Pudding
November 10, 2021
How can we prove that a nonprofit is doing its job? In the old days of
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My Stolen Tefillin and the Power of a Good Deed
October 27, 2021
About a month ago, I scheduled an in-and-out day trip to San Francisco
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"The will must be stronger than the skill": JGSI Fall Update
October 15, 2021
As a nonprofit CEO I'm always thinking about what it takes for an
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Growth Through Rejection this Rosh Hashanah
September 3, 2021
Every year before the High Holidays, I spend time thinking about the year
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Where to Next?
August 10, 2021
Warren Buffet once said, "Someone's sitting in the shade today because
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The Cost of Traveling Jewish
July 23, 2021
In 2017, I stopped wearing a yarmulke on airplanes. No, not because of
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Mazal Tov from 1 to 100!
June 21, 2021
I wanted to share the good news with you that as of today, JGSI has just
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The Last Man on Zoom
May 31, 2021
As the pandemic zooms away in our collective rear-view window (pun
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Passover: Questioning Ourselves
March 26, 2021
It's hard for my wife and I to believe, but our eldest daughter will be
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