Durng the Azkarah yesterday morning, among the names was, of course, Rabbi Gunther Plaut. If you’re reading this, then you already know what a giant he was in our movement, and of the almost unfathomable impact he had as editor and primary author of “The Plaut Commentary” or, if you prefer, “The Plaut-Bamberger Commentary.” I had the privilege of serving as Associate Rabbi at Holy Blossom Temple, where he was the...

In case you don’t remember, there is a reason that we are having this convention in the Sheraton. Or, more precisely, why we’re not having it in a Hyatt. A few years ago, the Hyatt hotel fired it’s cleaning staff, and contracted out to an agency. They saved themselves money, but deeply hurt their workers. The Reform Movement was among many who protested, and we continue to do so in part by refusing to give Hyatt our business. I...