A Message from Marc

Marc's Message

Marc Baker headshot
CJP's President and CEO, Rabbi Marc Baker, writes and teaches about leadership, community, and civic life, bringing the voice of Jewish tradition to contemporary issues.

 

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Ukraine: I Am My Brother’s Keeper

Dear Friends,  

We continue to watch with grave concern the buildup of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border and the threat of an invasion. For our community, this is more than an international crisis — it is personal.  

Core to CJP’s mission and to being a vibrant Jewish communit…

Remembering Cheryl Aronson (z”l)

Dear Friends,

It has been an incredibly sad week for the extended CJP and Hillel International families who are shocked and grieving at the sudden passing of Cheryl Aronson (z”l). Cheryl was an extraordinary human being and a passionate warrior for the Jewish People and Israel, whose impa…

Beloved Community

Dear Friends,  

Last Shabbat’s horrific events in Colleyville, Texas, reverberated all week as Jewish communities around the country, including ours, gathered to decry this act of Jew-hatred and double down on our commitments to safety and security. It was a difficult week of reckoning …

Change Starts with We

Dear Friends,  

Earlier this week, I attended a Boston-Haifa Café (BHCafé), a volunteer-led initiative to strengthen the bonds between CJP's Boston and Haifa-based volunteers and other interested participants. The BHCafé started during COVID-19 to help people stay connected, and we’v…

Seeing and Believing

Dear Friends,
 
This past calendar year has seen highs and lows, moments that inspired hope, and some that made us want to despair. I was thinking recently about how challenging it can feel to see the good around us when I heard a beautiful quote from Rachel Held Evans’ book, Wholeheart…