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.

 

Sign up now to receive these bi-weekly emails.

Power of love

Dear Friends,

As we prepare to commemorate and celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, there are many ways our Jewish community can engage and show up. I look forward to attending the MLK Breakfast on Monday with other community leaders.  

Today is an historic day f…

The Gratitude People

Dear Friends,

This week, on the eighth day of Hanukkah, I attended two simchas (joyous celebrations) — a bat mitzvah and a wedding of close friends’ daughters. I was filled with the sense of possibility and hope, singing and dancing with a future generation that’s already so deeply co…

Hannukah and the Light of Our Community

Dear Friends,  

Next week, like so many in our community and around the world, my wife and I will gather around the window of our home and light the Hanukkah candles with our children, thinking about what it might mean to shine our lights into what can feel like a very dark world right no…

Never Is Now

Dear Friends,

Watching Dave Chappelle’s opening monologue on Saturday Night Live from this past weekend, I was filled with outrage, sadness, and fear – sentiments echoed in the many emails and messages I’ve received from community members this week.

Chappelle’s monologue came just …

It Can Happen Here

Dear Friends,
 
The past two weeks have been a whirlwind — I spent an inspiring week in Israel, had the opportunity to gather in Chicago with thousands of my colleagues at the General Assembly of Jewish Federations of North America, and watched with anticipation as Israel went to the po…