CJP Blog

Hope from the Ashes

By Barry Shrage, President of CJP

In 2014, as war raged between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Boston’s Jewish community rallied at City Hall Plaza in the heart of Boston.  Every day, Hamas was launching rockets by the hundreds at Israel’s cities and civilians. We came together to support I…

The Center of the City of Hope

By Barry Shrage, President of CJP 

On Tuesday morning, we met with Haifa Mayor Yonah Yahav. The Mayor spoke with pride about Haifa’s response to the fires that ravaged some of its neighborhoods last week. 

Mayor Yahav loves this city. He knows its strength is in its diversity, its stro…

In our Beloved Haifa, the Air is Smoky, but the Vision is Clear

By Barry Shrage, President of CJP 

I arrived in Haifa yesterday evening, coming directly from Ben Gurion airport to meet our Boston-Haifa committee members in the Romema section of Haifa.

The smell of smoke and ashes seems to be everywhere. This neighborhood, on the northern slopes of Mou…

Finding and Building my Jewish Community

By Erin Miller

Guest blogger Erin Miller is President of Boston University’s Hillel organization. Thanks in part to CJP’s IACT program that fosters engagement, community building, and Israel advocacy, she has become one of the trailblazers who is helping to transform Jewish life on ca…

Looking Back to Move Forward: Building on Our Legacy of Justice

By Barry Shrage, President of CJP

Rosh Hashanah is Yom Hazikaron, the Day of Remembrance. We remember our transgressions against God and one another; we remember those who have touched us and those we have lost; we remember who we are, and who we want to be. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks teaches tha…