By Ron Werner

There is a danger in allowing our love for the land and people of Israel to be expressed only through worry.

For too long, much of the conversation about Israel has understandably focused on the “oy vey”: war, terrorism, antisemitism, political divisions, and the latest crisis dominating our newsfeeds.

These challenges are real. Yet, if we only see our world through a prism of crisis, we lose the ability to explain what Zionism has achieved and how we’ve made the world a better place.

Rosh Hashanah offers us an opportunity to change the conversation.

This season asks us to reflect on the year behind us while imagining what the year ahead might become. So perhaps we should also reflect on an extraordinary question: What have we accomplished as Zionists?

Look at Israel.

In little more than a century, the Jewish people transformed an ancient dream into a modern, thriving nation. At Jewish National Fund-USA, our donors have helped plant more than 260 million trees, built more than 250 reservoirs and dams, and brought Jewish people around the world home to their ancestral land.

Today, we are helping write the next chapter.

Across Israel’s North and South, Jewish National Fund-USA is investing in communities, healthcare, employment, education, agriculture, tourism, housing sites, and infrastructure. Our philosophy is simple: don’t merely build a project; create a circle of impact that gives families the opportunity and confidence to build their futures there, while inspiring new ones to join.

Perhaps one of the most inspiring expressions of Zionism is what happens when Israeli ingenuity travels beyond Israel’s borders.

Through the Kasser Joint Institute for Food, Water, and Energy Security, Jewish National Fund-USA, the University of Arizona, and Israel’s Arava Regional Councils are applying expertise developed in some of the world’s harshest environments to global challenges. In Kenya, agrivoltaics—using the same land for agriculture and solar-energy production—is being deployed alongside irrigation and other technologies to help communities strengthen food, water, and energy security.

That, too, is Zionism.

Zionism isn’t simply about defending Israel when it is attacked. It is about building a society that contributes to humanity.

And that is why each of us must become a voice for Israel.

Not an angry voice. Not a defensive voice. A proud voice.

We should speak about Israel’s challenges. However, we should also speak about the farmers, scientists, entrepreneurs, doctors, teachers, volunteers, and pioneers making their communities—and our world—better.

Let’s tell the story of the non-Jewish sophomore from the University of Texas who traveled to Israel as part of our Caravan for Democracy program. This initiative educates college students of all faiths about the realities on the ground. Many of these students have since become proud allies of Jewish and Zionist students on campus, joining hundreds of program alumni committed to fostering understanding and support.

Let’s also celebrate the experiences of the Jewish high school student who just returned from a life-changing semester abroad at our Muss High School in Israel. Like most kids at Muss, they attend public school, yet unlike before their experience in Israel, they now openly talk about Israel with pride and enthusiasm.

If all our children hear from us about Israel is what we fear, how can we expect them to understand what we love?

This Rosh Hashanah, let us resolve to see beyond the “oy vey.”

Let us tell the whole story of Israel: not merely a country surviving against extraordinary odds, but a people building, creating, healing, innovating, and giving back.

The shofar is, after all, an instrument meant to be heard.

This year, so should we.

Ron Werner is Jewish National Fund-USA’s VP, Campaign

By Mark Ginsberg

Your reporting on the Boulder Valley School District settlement, concrete measures after real harm, arrives at the question every Jewish parent now meets sooner or later: what do we tell the children? I write from Efrat, where my children practice walking to the shelter alongside their math lessons, and where that question stopped being hypothetical two years ago. Israeli families have been forced to develop scripts for these conversations, and the ones that work may be worth trading across the water.

The Lessons That Arrive Early

Israeli schools teach the siren the way American schools teach the fire drill, as routine rather than alarm, and the routine is the first lesson for parents too. Fear with a procedure attached becomes a task; fear without one becomes a mood that follows a child home. When the war began, the guidance that circulated among parents here was to answer the question asked and not the question feared. A child who asks whether the sirens will come tonight wants to know about tonight, not about the region’s future. Short true answers, calibrated to the age in front of you, beat thorough ones every time.

The second lesson took longer to learn. Children absorb far more from what we do than from what we say, and a parent who checks the phone with clenched shoulders is teaching a class of one. The families I know who have held up best gave their children jobs: packing the shelter bag, learning the neighbor’s name, being the one who reminds everyone where the flashlight lives. Psychologists who study communities under rocket fire keep finding the same pattern, that belonging and usefulness are the armor, and the pattern works in ordinary hard times as much as in wartime.

The Dinner-Table Version

The hardest conversations are not about the sirens at all. They are about the hatred behind them, the ones a child hears about from a classmate or sees on a screen. Here the Israeli instinct is to name the thing plainly and then widen the frame: some people hate us for what we are, and what we are is a family with a table, a holiday coming, a history we love telling. The hate gets one sentence. The table gets the rest of the evening. That ratio, one part naming to five parts living, is the closest thing to a vaccine we have found.

What Travels to Boulder

What would I offer a Boulder family reading about the settlement and wondering what to say at dinner? The same blueprint with local materials. Name what happened honestly, since children will hear it anyway and secrets teach shame. Give them a role, since a child who helps make the household ready stands a little straighter. And keep the ratio: one sentence for the harm, the rest of the evening for the joy, which is the family’s own and cannot be settled away. The measures your district agreed to matter, and the belonging you build at the table matters more. Our two communities are proof of the same sentence: children do not need the danger hidden. They need the love to be visible.

by Ron Jager

Danny Lewin was born on May 14, 1970, in Denver, Colorado, to a Jewish family. He was one of three brothers. He moved to Israel with his family at age 14. Danny first walked into Samson’s Gym in Jerusalem in 1985 accompanied by his best friend, Aviad, the son of Peace Now pioneer activist Janet Aviad. Despite Danny not yet being 15, he came armed with a series of questions about Jerusalem’s legendary fitness facility, the first of its kind in Israel, and the much-talked-about new attraction in Israel’s capital. After asking about the equipment, the rates, the hours, and the type of workout program that he had hoped to get from one of the muscular instructors who seemed to epitomize the gym’s name, Danny asked a question that would seem haunting a decade and a half later. “Why are there no Arabs here and what are you afraid of?” His question seemed more a comment that stood to support the argument that would soon follow when his close friend brazenly challenged the gym’s unspoken policy.

The gym owner’s responded in his typically blunt manner: “Because we don’t want any trouble—”; yet, before he could further clarify, Danny Lewin boldly asked again: “What about the good Arabs?!”

Less than a month into their initial three-month membership, Aviad dropped out. The sport was simply too demanding. Danny, on the other hand, became more and more committed, visiting Samson’s Gym even on the days he didn’t train. He saw it as his home away from home, convinced that it would serve as the vehicle by which he would transform his life, helping to develop a finely-tuned body that complemented his noticeably gifted mind. His friends marveled, and the mirror reflected evidence of the rapid development of a determined, motivated, and aspiring muscle man.

There was something special about Danny; he radiated a sense of independence more fitting of someone twice his age. Only weeks into his membership, he asked if he could get a job at the gym and join the small team of instructors who were already well recognized as they walked the streets of Jerusalem wearing the coveted Samson’s Gym trainer tee shirt. Not taking no for an answer, he asked again a few weeks later. And yet again, a few weeks later, offering to “do anything” to become part of the team. Anything! And so it was. Still new to the iron game, 15-year-old Danny Lewin rushed to Samson’s Gym from school every day—to sweep the floors, mop the showers, and, yes, to clean the toilets. He could finally call himself part of the Samson’s team. A year and a half later, the now-muscular Lewin was ready to be an instructor—training a cadre of Jews, young and old, to believe in themselves and their inner strength that they possess.

After breezing effortlessly through high school and the challenging matriculation exams, Danny volunteered and served in Sayeret Matkal, the IDF’s most coveted elite commando unit. He married at 21 and raised two young boys with his wife. He completed his B.S. from the Technion, working long hours as a teaching assistant and as a researcher for IBM in Haifa.

In 1996, Danny accepted a scholarship to study computer science and mathematics at MIT. Two years later, while working on his Ph.D., he founded Akamai Technologies which offered a new and revolutionary way to deliver content over the Internet. By 2001, Danny was widely recognized as one of the most influential technologists of his generation. One well-known trade publication ranked him as the seventh most important technologist in the world. His impact on people was so strong that, even today, battle-hardened CEOs and IDF sharpshooters get choked up when talking about him, in part, because his rise was so quick, so spectacular, and so tragically short.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Danny Lewin boarded American Airlines Flight No. 11 in Boston, expecting to reach Los Angeles. Instead, the flight was hijacked and commandeered by Arab terrorists, crashing into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. On that fateful flight, Danny Lewin became the very first victim of the largest terrorist attack in history in which more than 3,000 Americans died. An internal memorandum of the Federal Aviation Administration says “that in the course of a struggle that took place between Lewin, a graduate of Israel’s elite commando unit, Sayeret Matkal, and the four hijackers who were assaulting that cockpit, Lewin was murdered by Satam Al Suqami, a 25-year-old Saudi.”

Sometime after the attack, the Lewin family in Jerusalem received a telephone call from the FBI offices in New York. On the line was the agent responsible for the investigation of the attack on Flight 11. He told Danny’s parents that there is a high degree of certainty that Danny tried to prevent the hijacking. The FBI relied, among other things, on the testimony of the stewardess Amy Sweeney.

Sweeney succeeded in clandestinely getting a call out during the flight to a flight services supervisor in Boston, from the rear of the plane: “A hijacker slit the throat of a passenger in business class and the passenger appears to me to be dead.” To this day the American investigators are not convinced that Danny Lewin was murdered on the spot. An additional stewardess, Betty Ong, who succeeded in calling from a telephone by one of the passenger seats, said that the passenger who was attacked from business class seat 10B was seriously wounded. It turned out that 10B was the seat of Danny Lewin.

The Lewin family, Danny’s parents and brothers, have no doubt that Danny battled the hijackers. And it is for them a tremendous consolation. “I wasn’t surprised to hear from the FBI that Danny fought. I was sure that this is what he would do,” Yonatan, his younger brother, said. “Danny didn’t sit quietly. From what we heard from the Americans, the hijackers attacked one of the stewardesses and Danny rose to protect her and prevent them from entering the cockpit. It is a consolation to us that Danny fought. We see it as an act of heroism that a person sacrifices his life in order to save the lives of others. That battle in the business section ended quickly. Lewin was overcome and bled to death on the floor. Two additional flight attendants were knifed and the captain was murdered. The hijackers were already inside the cockpit. They announced to the passengers to remain quiet in their seats.

As we fathom the tragic details of the incredible life journey of Danny Lewin, z”l, from mopping up the locker rooms of Samson’s Gym in Jerusalem to the pinnacle of the high tech industry in America, I am reminded of Danny’s question back in 1985, “What about the good Arabs?” Indeed, as we grasp the dimensions of 9/11 from a 25-year perspective, where were these “good Arabs” who rejected this compulsive need to murder one’s way to Islamic glory? Where are they today?

Danny Lewin z”l – father, son and husband, a veteran of the Israel Defense Force’s elite commando team, the outstanding graduate of Israel’s Technion Institute, an accomplished PhD student at MIT and co-founder of the Internet giant Akamai Technologies will be forever remembered for his heroic attempt to prevent the hijacking of Flight 11 becoming the very first victim of 9/11.

*this article was prepared based on the personal testimony of Mr. Meir Jolovitz, the legendary founder of Samson’s Gym in Jerusalem

**this article was cited as a footnote in Wikipedia for being the very first source ever, to personally name by name the very first victim of 9/11.

The writer, a 25-year veteran of the I.D.F Medical Corp., served as a field mental health officer. Prior to retiring in 2005, served as the Commander of the Central Psychiatric Military Clinic for Reserve Soldiers at Tel-Hashomer. Since retiring from active duty, he provides consultancy services to NGO’s implementing Psycho trauma and Community Resilience programs to communities in the North and South of Israel. Is a former strategic advisor on Public Diplomacy for the Office of the Chief Foreign Envoy of Judea and Samaria.   To contact: medconf@gmail.com   Website: www.ronjager.com

As we look ahead to the Jewish new year, this is also a moment to look back in our first fully digital JEWISHcolorado Annual Report. While there have been many challenges for the Jewish people in the past year, we are proud to share the impact of JEWISHcolorado’s work. This year, we have:

• Continued to lead the way as the primary advocacy organization in Colorado for the Jewish people;
• Worked to ensure that Jews here and in Israel are safe, secure, and thriving;
• Raised a record amount for our Annual Campaign of $9.7 million, providing vital support for grantees across Colorado and throughout Israel;
• Brought Jewish programming to our state—from PJ Library to the Joyce Zeff Israel Study Tour for teens.

Through our funding at home and abroad and through our work with global partners—The Jewish Agency, the Joint Distribution Committee, and World ORT—we extended our impact across the globe. We are here to educate young people, to counter antisemitism, and to support the people of Israel. Please keep reading for the many ways JEWISHcolorado has leveraged our work and our trusted partnerships across the community to drive impact.

None of this would be possible without your commitment and support. Together, we are shaping a better future for the Jewish people. Thank you for all that you make possible, and to each and every one of you, L’shanah Tovah U’Metukah!

Renée Rockford, President & CEO  
Neil Oberfeld, Board Chair

New site at events.kin-club.com catalogs local parks, playgrounds, water fun and farms, pairs them with at-home and on-the-go activity ideas, and bundles it all into ready-made weekend plans

ITHACA, N.Y., — Kinovate Ventures, Inc., the company behind KinClub, announced the launch of KinClub Family Activities, a free website built around one question parents ask every weekend: what do we actually do with the kids? The site is live now at https://events.kin-club.com/boulder-co and is rolling out in Boulder and 14 markets to start.

The site works two ways. It’s a running calendar of family and kids’ events in each market — festivals, story times, classes, shows and more. And it’s a standing catalog of the best places to take a family: parks, playgrounds, splash pads and water parks, farms, and everything in between, organized so parents don’t have to piece it together themselves.

Alongside that, KinClub Family Activities offers a library of activity ideas parents can pull up on the spot: things to do at home, games for the car, and prompts for whatever park or event they land at. For parents who want the whole day mapped out, the site also offers weekend “tracks” — pre-built itineraries that pair a place, an event and an activity into one plan, start to finish.

“We wanted to take the thinking out of it,” said Alex Colket, founder and CEO of KinClub. “Most parents aren’t short on things they could do with their kids — they’re short on time to plan it. This gives them a place to go and something to do once they get there, all in one look.”

KinClub Family Activities is rolling out in 14 markets to start, including Boulder, Colo.; Asheville, N.C.; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; Austin, Texas; Boise, Idaho; Hartford, Conn.; and Chattanooga, Tenn., with additional markets live at launch.

The site is part of the KinClub family of products, anchored by KinClub’s flagship app at https://kin-club.com, a private digital home for families that works as part family hangout, part family headquarters — connecting parents, kids and grandparents in one shared space. KinClub Family Activities is free to use and built to introduce more families to that broader ecosystem.

About KinClub
KinClub is a private, intergenerational family platform built by Kinovate Ventures, Inc. and
available on iOS, Android and web. Founded by siblings Alex and Caroline Colket, KinClub
replaces the scattered stack of apps families use to stay connected with one shared home,
designed to turn screen time into family time. Learn more at kin-club.com.

by Joshua Kail, America’s Rebbitzman

If you find yourself in a new relationship with a Rabbi, this short survival guide for making it out of the High Holy Day Season alive is a must-read.

If you know of, or are related to, someone in a relationship with a Rabbi, please share this with them; it can save their marriage.

I have been married for 19 years as of a couple of weeks ago. For eighteen of those years, my wife has been an ordained rabbi. Needless to say, I’ve made a lot of mistakes over that time (and continue to, to this day). The weeks and months leading up to the High Holy Days can be a minefield of missteps for the newly minted spouse or partner of a Rabbi. Ignore the below and risk receiving a Ghet by Sukkot!

1) Start altering your sleep schedule to include 2 am nudges so that when you are asked “does this part of my sermon sound good,” you have the mental wherewithal to automatically say “yes.”

2) Create a list of TV shows and movies only you want to watch, so when you have something to do while your bedroom is converted into the Rosh Hashanah War room. I like to create a “Gilmore Girls Free Zone, where Jason Statham can roam free as a carpenter who used to be a Green Beret hell bent on revenge, or an Uber driver who used to be a Navy Seal hell bent on revenge, or a Bee Keeper who used to be an Army Ranger hell bent on revenge.

3) When going to bed, be sure to wear extra-thick pajamas and a padded sleeping mask. This will help prevent being jabbed in the eye with a copy of yet another Torah commentary when you roll over. For spouses of rabbis, the saying “Gamliel makes a good point,” takes on a whole new meaning when you have to start taking eye drops for a scratched cornea.

4) Keep a recent photo of your Rabbi spouse or partner on you, so that you can remember what they look like, as you may not see them face to face until Hanukkah.

5) Do not say ANY of the following things for the next month:

1. “Oh you are talking about the binding of Isaac again, huh?”
2. What do you want for dinner?
3. Do you have anything on your schedule this weekend?
4. When is Rosh Hashanah?
5. Is your erev sermon done yet?
6. Why are you so stressed? It’s the same service every year.
7. That’s not how Shmuley Boteach would do it, and he is America’s Rabbi

It’s going to be a long month for fellow Clergy spouses and partners, but if we all follow these tips, stay in the shadows, and keep our heads down, we can make it through. If all else fails, keep a bottle of slivovitz handy.

Whether you are a Rebbitzman, Rebbitzthem, or Rebbitzin, just know it will be ok and you will make it through this.  You are not alone.

Shanah Tova, America’s Rebbitzman

On Saturday, September 5th, 2026 (23 Elul, 5786), Abigail Linn was called to the Torah as Bat Mitzvah at Congregation Bonai Shalom. Abigail read from Parashat Nitzavim-Vayeilech.

Boulder Jewish News encourages Bar and Bat Mitzvah students to submit their d’var torah and information about their Mitzvah/Tikkun Olam projects.  For more information, please email editor@boulderjewishnews.org

On Saturday, September 5th, 2026 (23 Elul, 5786), Luna Harris was called before the congregation as a Bat Yisrael with Adventure Judaism.

Boulder Jewish News encourages Bar and Bat Mitzvah students to submit their d’var torah and information about their Mitzvah/Tikkun Olam projects. For more information, please email editor@boulderjewishnews.org.

Shabbat shalom and l’shana tovah u’mtukah! As we get ready to greet the new year and Shabbat, we are also mindful of the 25th anniversary today of the terrorist attack that in many ways set the tone in the U.S. and much of the world for the last quarter-century. One of the many, many 9/11 stories out there is the one BJN is highlighting: the first casualty of the attack was an American-Israeli named Danny Lewin, who was on Flight 11 out of Boston that morning. Read his heroic story here.

The BJN would also like to acknowledge and thank the “Stories of Antisemitism” group and their partnering Colorado Christian Churches for the lovely Shanah Tovah gift basket that arrived this week. We certainly appreciate their unwavering support of the Jewish community in these troubled times.

Speaking of antisemitism, this week also brought a conclusion to the federal discrimination claim filed by the ADL against the Boulder Valley School District. The two sides reached an agreement that should bring better protections for students bullied for any reason, but especially antisemitic harrassment throughout the school District.

Last September, we began a new column with Rabbi Charna Rosenholtz, a 12-part column exploring the spiritual and psychological wisdom of each Hebrew month. Drawing from Torah, Kabbalah, Mussar, and seasonal awareness, each installment highlights core themes, practices, and reflections to help ground us in sacred time. Join us on this monthly journey through the Jewish calendar. We are now in Elul, the final month of the series, so be sure to check out this latest entry. Links to her earlier columns (months 1-11) are included.

Here are the stories from this week.

News/Columns/Letters

• Danny Lewin z”l: The Very First Victim of 9/11 (9/10/2026) - On the morning of September 11, 2001, Danny Lewin boarded American Airlines Flight No. 11 in Boston, expecting to reach Los Angeles. Instead, the flight was hijacked and commandeered by Arab terrorists, crashing into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Continue Reading
• This Year, Together: JEWISHcolorado Releases Annual Report (9/10/2026) - JEWISHcolorado reflects on its impactful year, highlighting advocacy, safety initiatives, record fundraising, and community programming while expressing gratitude for support. Continue Reading
• ADL and BVSD Reach Settlement Agreement to Address Antisemitic Bullying in Boulder Schools (9/9/2026) - Boulder Valley School District will implement comprehensive measures to combat antisemitism following a federal complaint by the ADL. Continue Reading
• Boulder JCC Statement on ADL-BVSD Settlement (9/9/2026) - We applaud BVSD, its Board of Education, and Superintendent Dr. Rob Anderson for taking swift accountability and partnering directly with the ADL to reach a settlement and implement meaningful solutions. Continue Reading
• Letter: Israel Obeys International Law (9/9/2026) - Ed Kass ("Opinion: Needed Now. Ometz Lev" 9/3/26 BJN) is either ignorant of or willfully blind to the fact that all "Jewish settlements" in Judea and Samaria are totally consistent with Article 80 of the United Nations Charter, the controlling international law concerning Israel. Continue Reading
• Boulder JCC Officially Breaks Ground on $2.5M “Growing Up Outside” Outdoor Expansion (9/7/2026) - The Boulder Jewish Community Center begins major outdoor expansion project after a groundbreaking event, supported by community contributions and aiming for completion before the end of 2026. Continue Reading
• 64% of Israeli Jews Want a Government Without Haredim, or One That Does Not Give in to Their Demands (9/7/2026) - A recent survey indicates that 64% of Israeli Jews want a coalition excluding Haredi demands on religious issues, highlighting a significant gap between public opinion and government policies. Continue Reading
• Letter: Not “If” But “How” (9/7/2026) - The New York Times and Muhammad Shehada are wilfully blind to the one and only thing that Hamas must do to instill a least a scintilla of credibility in their claim, totally mendacious until now, that they are interested in peace. Continue Reading

Jewish Life

• The High Holy Day Survival Guide for Partners of Rabbis (9/10/2026) - If you find yourself in a new relationship with a Rabbi, this short survival guide for making it out of the High Holy Day Season alive is a must-read. Continue Reading
• Abigail Linn Bat Mitzvah (9/10/2026) - On Saturday, September 5th, 2026, Abigail Linn was called to the Torah as Bat Mitzvah at Congregation Bonai Shalom. Continue Reading
• Luna Harris Bat Yisrael (9/10/2026) - On Saturday, September 5th, 2026, Luna Harris was called to the Torah as a Bat Yisrael with Adventure Judaism. Continue Reading
• A ‘Blow Out’ New Year? (9/9/2026) - The shofar's absence on Rosh Hashanah coinciding with Shabbat illustrates deep spiritual lessons about repentance, divine mercy, and the importance of Shabbat, suggesting transformative potential for the New Year. Continue Reading
• The Night Before, The Night Before Rosh Hashanah (9/7/2026) - On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, a rabbi frantically rewrites sermons, prepares for services, and humorously navigates last-minute challenges while wishing everyone a Shana Tova. Continue Reading
• Baruch Dayan HaEmet – Ruth Seagull z”l (9/7/2026) - Ruth Seagull passed away peacefully in her home in Boulder, Colorado, one month shy of her 96th birthday. Continue Reading

Arts and Culture

• KinClub Launches Free Family Events and Activities Site, Rolling Out in Boulder and 14 Cities (9/10/2026) - KinClub Family Activities launches a free website offering local family event calendars, activity ideas, and ready-made weekend plans in Boulder and 14 markets, simplifying planning for parents. Continue Reading

Events

• Commemorating October 7: Screening of “Torn: The Israel-Palestine Poster War” on NYC Streets (9/9/2026) - On October 1, 2026, Boulder JCC hosts a poignant event featuring the documentary "Torn," exploring emotional impacts of the Israel-Palestine conflict through diverse New Yorkers' perspectives. Continue Reading

Boulder Valley School District agrees to make systemic changes to address antisemitism after Jewish student faced severe and persistent antisemitic harassment and assault

New York, NY, September 9, 2026 – The Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) has entered into a settlement agreement to implement comprehensive, districtwide measures to prevent and address antisemitic harassment, bullying and discrimination, resolving a federal civil rights complaint filed by ADL (the Anti-Defamation League).

Under the terms of the settlement announced today, BVSD will undertake a series of initiatives to strengthen its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when responding to allegations of harassment based on national origin or shared ancestry. These initiatives include updating districtwide policies, designating an executive-level staff member to serve as the district’s Title VI Executive Director, strengthening reporting and oversight procedures, providing antisemitism training to all administrators, faculty and staff, delivering age-appropriate educational programming on antisemitism to all students and increasing public transparency by publishing annual reports on the district’s response to allegations and reports of discrimination and harassment, including antisemitism.

The settlement agreement, secured through a mediation process with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and its mediators, resolves allegations raised by ADL in a complaint filed in June 2026. The complaint alleged that BVSD failed to protect a Jewish middle school student from repeated antisemitic bullying, slurs and physical assault, despite the district being continually notified.

“Jewish students and all students are safer and better protected at Boulder Valley School District because of the bravery of one family that stepped forward to say ‘enough.’ The pain of the last several years of targeted antisemitic harassment will now give way to meaningful, districtwide changes designed to help ensure that no other Jewish student feels unsafe or unwelcome because of their ethnic or religious identity,” said James Pasch, ADL Vice President of Litigation. “By establishing a strong framework for preventing antisemitic harassment, strengthening reporting and oversight and holding BVSD accountable for its commitments, this agreement lays the groundwork for safer, more inclusive schools.”

“No child should have to choose between their identity and their personal safety,” said Susan Rona, ADL Mountain States Regional Director. “The measures BVSD has agreed to will make its schools safer for every student, including Jewish students. This agreement creates an important foundation for rebuilding trust, and ADL looks forward to working with BVSD by serving on the Superintendent Advisory Group and consulting with the District on trainings for the new Title VI Executive Director and student programming focused on antisemitism.”

Under the settlement, BVSD has agreed to the following measures to address antisemitism:

• Update Board of Education policies, subject to Board approval, to clarify that protections against discrimination and harassment include conduct based on national origin and shared ancestry.
• Designate an executive-level staff member to serve as the district’s Title VI Executive Director to work with the Compliance Officer to oversee the district’s response to allegations of discrimination and harassment, including antisemitism.
• Revise the district’s online incident-reporting form by providing clear information about the reporting process and ensure reports are sent directly to the Title VI Executive Director and Compliance Officer.
• Create and maintain for the next three years a public, comprehensive webpage that centralizes resources on antisemitism, defines antisemitism, district policies, reporting procedures and contact information for designated district officials.
• Utilize the definition of antisemitism located on the new webpage when evaluating, investigating or reviewing reports or complaints of harassment, bullying and/or discrimination based upon Jewish shared ancestry or ethnicity, religion and/or national origin.
• Publish annual community reports for three years concerning the district’s response to allegations of discrimination and harassment, including aggregate data about antisemitic incident reports and district outcomes.
• Create a Superintendent Advisory Group focused on addressing antisemitism, with invitations to representatives of Jewish community organizations and from the Superintendent’s office to foster open dialogue.
• Implement antisemitism training for all school administrators, faculty and staff.
• Provide age-appropriate programming to all students on discrimination and harassment, including antisemitism, educating them on what antisemitism is, how to combat it and ways to report it at their schools.
• Make resources and training materials from ADL’s No Place for Hate program available to every school in the district.

ADL thanks the District for its commitment to implementing meaningful change and for working towards the shared goal of protecting Jewish students who attend BVSD schools. ADL welcomes the opportunity to support its implementation, and remains committed to helping foster a culture in which Jewish students are treated with dignity, inclusivity and respect.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color and national origin, including discrimination against Jewish students on the basis of their actual or perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, by educational institutions that receive federal funding.

Today’s announcement is the first settlement of a complaint that was submitted through ADL’s Legal Action Network, which launched in late 2025 and currently consists of over 55 law firms across the country. Since Oct. 7, ADL has filed civil rights and legal complaints against public school districts to address antisemitic environments for Jewish students, including a successfully resolved matter against the Santa Ana Unified School District. ADL has brought Title VI complaints against the Bay County, Florida Public School District, Baltimore City Public Schools, Berkeley Unified School District, and Etiwanda School District. Several filed complaints have resulted in successful resolution agreements, including one with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Concord-Carlisle Regional School District.

ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913 to protect the Jewish people, ADL works to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and secure justice and fair treatment to all. In the face of rising antisemitism and extremism, we protect, advocate, and educate, through a mix of programs and services using the latest innovations and technology, and seek to create a world without hate. More at www.adl.org. 

We are relieved to share that the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) have reached a settlement agreement regarding the Title VI complaint filed this past June, which included incidents of severe antisemitic harassment, physical assault, and district inaction. As we have begun the new school year and approach Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, this update comes at a meaningful time for our community.

First and foremost, we want to acknowledge the immense bravery of the family who brought this matter forward. Their willingness to speak up was driven by a desire to ensure every student in BVSD, Jewish students and all students, can learn in a safe environment free from antisemitism, bullying, harassment, and discrimination. Their courage also empowered other families to share their own experiences, ensuring these issues were fully confronted rather than repeated. As a community we are grateful.

We applaud BVSD, its Board of Education, and Superintendent Dr. Rob Anderson for taking swift accountability and partnering directly with the ADL to reach a settlement and implement meaningful solutions. We are particularly grateful for BVSD’s six-part plan to address antisemitism and the progress the District has already made in executing these critical steps. Their dedication to resolving this matter quickly helps secure a safer, more supportive school year for our children. 

Additionally, we thank Superintendent Dr. Rob Anderson and his team for establishing the Superintendent’s Advisory Group on Antisemitism. This working group will bring together leaders from Jewish communal organizations, including Susan Rona, Regional Director, ADL Mountain States, and a representative from the Boulder JCC, alongside key representatives from the Superintendent’s office. The group will serve as a dedicated forum for open, ongoing dialogue to directly address and combat antisemitism across the District.

We also express our deepest gratitude to the ADL for tirelessly advocating alongside this family, as well as our entire Jewish community, its leaders, organizations, and the parents who offered unwavering support to the family and community throughout this process. Community collaboration was vital to reaching this resolution.

As this complaint demonstrated, action starts with documentation. When we report incidents, we create an undeniable record that compels administrations to act. If you or your child experiences or witnesses any form of antisemitism or bias, please do not stay silent.

For full settlement details, please read the full resolution agreement between the ADL and BVSD.

Resources for Reporting and Support:

• School District Reporting: First, submit formal reports directly to your local school district administration (BVSD, SVVSD, JeffCo). This ensures local principals, administrators, and educators are notified and legally required to follow up.
• ADL Incident Reporting: Second, report directly to the ADL at adl.org/report-incident. The ADL tracks these trends meticulously and uses this data to step in and advocate for our community. Reporting to the ADL is confidential, and nothing will be disclosed without your express permission. 
• Safe2Tell Colorado: Anonymously report any safety concerns or harassment online at safe2tell.org or by calling 1.877.542.7233. This is a vital tool utilized by school districts and law enforcement across Colorado

With gratitude,

Jonathan Lev, Boulder JCC Executive Director
David Paul, Boulder JCC Board Chair

As we mark the anniversary of the tragic events of October 7, 2023, the Boulder JCC invites the community to gather for a poignant, thought-provoking evening of film, dialogue, and remembrance on Thursday, October 1, 2026.

We will host a special screening of the powerful documentary “Torn: The Israel-Palestine Poster War on NYC Streets” (2024), followed by a talkback with the film’s director, Nim Shapira, in conversation with Founding Film Festival Director Kathryn Bernheimer.

The Film: A Proxy War in Paper and Ink

When the Hamas attack on October 7 resulted in the abduction of 251 hostages from Israel, a grassroots movement emerged across the globe to bring awareness to their plight. In New York City, the now-iconic “KIDNAPPED” poster campaign quickly blanketed public walls, lamp posts, and construction sites. However, as Israel’s war in Gaza unfolded, these images transformed into a fierce, ideological battleground thousands of miles away from the Middle East.

“Torn” captures the intense emotional fallout and social friction that erupted on the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Through the intimate perspectives of ten New Yorkers—including hostage families, activists, artists, and bystanders—the documentary uncovers the deeply personal motivations behind both those who pasted the posters up and those who tore them down. The film provides a striking, nuanced window into a proxy war fought through stickers, wheatpaste, slogans, and torn paper, exploring how grief, advocacy, and polarization played out in the public square.

We are deeply honored to welcome Nim Shapira, the director, writer, and producer of “Torn.” Nim is an Emmy-nominated, award-winning Israeli-American filmmaker, creative director, and multidisciplinary artist based in Brooklyn. Widely recognized for his cutting-edge work across traditional documentary storytelling and immersive technologies, Nim brings a unique, empathetic lens to capturing complex human truths during times of crisis.

This program is possible with the support of Alaine and Joey Lerner. We encourage community members, students, and educators from across Boulder to join us for this important gathering.

• 6:00 – 6:30 PM: Light Refreshments & Community Gathering
• 6:30 – 7:45 PM: Film Screening (“Torn“)
• 7:45 – 8:15 PM: Q&A and Talkback with Director Nim Shapira & Kathryn Bernheimer
• Admission: $15 General Admission | $10 for Students

Space is limited for this special event. To purchase tickets and secure your seat, please register on Amilia.

To ensure our programs remain accessible to everyone in our community, confidential financial assistance is available. Please contact Julia Price at julia.price@boulderjcc.org for more information.

In this high octane time of year, both for Jews and for the world, we anxiously await the one time on the calendar when we hear a sound that can lift us up from our angst – that mesmerizing sound of the shofar. But low and behold, we learn that when Rosh Hashanah comes out on Shabbat, the Shofar is not traditionally blown. We at first seek some mystical reason for restricting this beloved and multi-meaning laden mitzvah. However, the ‘first responder’ is a seemingly mundane teaching to prevent someone who has a shofar, and wants to blow, but doesn’t know how, may come to carry it outside in the public domain to find an expert blower.

We can’t help being somewhat mystified and rather disappointed. Yes we know that the early Talmudic sages had some clout even over some explicit aspects of the written Torah, but to deprive an entire nation from this beloved mitzvah because of a remote ‘what if?’

After much research, I came across some connections that made the most sense to me, so I will share a few of them. One is from the beloved Hassidic master, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev. He reminds us of the scenario where G-d sits on his throne of Judgement on Rosh Hashanah to decide the fate of the world, but when He hears the Shofar and the people’s heartfelt response, he moves over to the throne of compassion. In addition, the rabbis tell us that the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we are provided with the chance to do Teshuva and thereby be written in the book of Life. There is usually no guarantee that will happen. However, we recall that on Shabbat, one of the 39 forbidden activities is writing, unless it is a matter of saving a life. Therefore, even G-d, so to speak, cannot write on the day when Rosh Hashanah comes out on Shabbat, unless it is to save a life, in other words to inscribe us in the book of Life. So on Shabbat, according to the Berditchiver, G-d doesn’t need the shofar to evoke his mercy, since the Shabbat prohibition to write, kind of ‘forces his hand.’

The above is a pretty clever response. And it reminds us how important our connection to Shabbat for the entire year is. In fact, the sages tell us that it was the ‘spirit of Shabbos’ that saved Adam and Chava from being wiped off the earthly map when they ate from the forbidden tree on the first Friday of creation. The ‘spirit of Shabbat’ protested on Friday night, saying something like ‘Why should such a punishment be associated with such a holy day?’ G-d conceded and when the first human couple experienced their first Shabbat, their regret for transgressing gave them somewhat of a reprieve. Thus they were relegated to exile from the Garden of Eden instead. So one lesson for us in a year like this is to be more conscious of the power and practices of Shabbat than we should be in a year where shofar IS blown on a weekday. The word ‘Rosh’ means both head and beginning. If we start the year from a Shabbat perspective, it will give us a head start on the ‘Air Force One’ of holiness throughout this year. (If you need a weekly booster shot to help understand the relation of each weekly Torah portion to Shabbat, please read my previous ‘A Taste of Shabbos’ postings in the Boulder Jewish News).

Moreover, it’s important to recall that the word ‘Shabbat’ shares its root with the word, ‘Tashev’ meaning to return to our better nature- i.e. the key focus of all these forty days between the new moon of Elul and Yom Kippur. This focus helps us understand another purpose of the shofar- to confuse the Satan- the adversary blocking our mazal, meaning our FLOW of blessings for the New Year. In other words, we attempt to ‘block the blocker.’ How is the Satan confused each year? Because the more he tries to bring accusations about transgressions, he realizes that the power of the shofar (and this year through Shabbat) is to bring about MORE REPENTANCE, which translates into transforming sins into merits!

Still, there is a glitch in this shofar vs Shabbat reasoning; in the days of the Beit Hamikdash, the holy Temple in Jerusalem, the Mishnah tells us that the shofar WAS blown, even on a Shabbat. Why should this be so, if Shabbat can replace the power of the shofar to elicit divine mercy instead of harsh judgement? There is a rather deep and esoteric reason given. It has to do with the contrast between Teshuva out of Awe (Hence the term ‘Days of Awe) rather than the Teshuva of Shabbat, which ideally is out of love and happiness. I will try to summarize this response (If you have questions, please feel free to contact me.) If something comes from a place of Essence, then even the emerging paradoxes can be transcended and unified. For example, it is our human limitation that doesn’t let us perceive a wave and a particle at the same time, even though their source is one.

A simpler example: in a classroom where the teacher is absent, the students can tend to be rowdy since each acts from a different and individual nature.  But when the teacher shows up in an authoritive manner, (hopefully) the students align their wills to that of the teacher, without losing their personal identity. (Compare/contrast to the book/film “Lord of the Flies“) The holy Temple contained such a powerful presence of the Divine that those who came into the Temple’s ‘limitless space,’ could simultaneously access the contractive humility caused by the shofar, together with the expansive and joyful celebration of Shabbat

May such a confluence and resolution of both the individual and collective paradoxes in our lives be manifest with the promises of our prophets, through the great shofar of Mashiach, speedily in our days!

Dear editor:

Ed Kass (“Opinion: Needed Now. Ometz Lev” 9/3/26 BJN) is either ignorant of or willfully blind to the fact that all “Jewish settlements” in Judea and Samaria are totally consistent with Article 80 of the United Nations Charter, the controlling international law concerning Israel.

Article 80 incorporates by reference the 1922 League of Nations Mandate for Palestine and the 1920 San Remo Agreement.

As an international treaty, Article 80 supercedes any resolution of the Security Council or General Assembly that conflicts with it.

Finally Article 80 declares that all of what is Israel including Judea, Samaria and Gaza, are the 3500 year old indigenous RECONSTITUTED homeland of the Jewish people and the land is sovereign Jewish territory.

Eugene Rostow, Dean of Yale Law School (1955-1965) and Under Secretary of State in a Democratic administration (1965-1969) wrote:

“Legally the West Bank and Gaza are unallocated parts of the Palestine Mandate…and as far as the claims of the Arabs who live there goes, it must be remembered that, in contrast to other League of Nations mandates, the Palestine Mandate was not established as a trust for the indigenous population of the area, to be terminated when the population was ready for self government.

“It was set up under a different article of the League Covenant as a trust for the Jewish people, in recognition of their historic connection to the land on the condition that the civic and religious rights of the Muslims and Christians be respected.

“Moreover the right of the Jewish people to settle in the West Bank has never been terminated…Jewish settlement in the West Bank …is..the exercise of a right protected by Article 80 of the United Nations Charter and hence necessarily part of the domestic law of the West Bank”.

Eugene Rostow, “Commentary Magazine”,  “A False Start in the Middle East,” October, 1989.

Further, “those Jewish rights that had existed under the Mandate remain in full force and effect, to which the UN is still committed by Article 80 to uphold, or is prohibited from altering.

“As a direct result of Article 80, the UN cannot transfer these rights over any part of Palestine, vested as they are in the Jewish People, to any non-Jewish entity, such as the “Palestinian Authority.” Among the most important of these Jewish rights are those contained in Article 6 of the Mandate which recognized the right of Jews to immigrate freely to the Land of Israel and to establish settlements thereon, rights which are fully protected by Article 80 of the UN Charter.” (“Article 80 and the UN Recognition of a ‘Palestinian State,'” Howard Grief, “The Algemeiner,” 9/22/11).

Salomon Benzimra, author of “The Jewish People’s Rights to the Land of Israel. Canadians for Israel’s Legal Rights” (2018) has written that Article 80 is “relevant in preventing any action contemplated by the United Nations to alter existing Jewish rights and title to any part of the Land of Israel–Palestine, rights that are legally preserved under Article 80” (Page 70).

Spewing calumnies that contravene Article 80 in order to prejudice the Jewish people of Israel does not change international law and are ultimately Zionophobic.

Richard Sherman
Margate, Florida 
Member of the Institute for the Critical Study of Antizionism

Campus energy is at an all-time high as the Boulder Jewish Community Center officially kicks off major outdoor campus projects following a festive “Bring Your Own Shovel” groundbreaking event. Children from the Jay and Rose Phillips Early Childhood Center joined families, staff, board members, and donors to dig into the site, marking a major milestone for the community’s future.

The expansion follows rapid organizational growth. Since opening as a preschool in 1984, the ECC has served as the beating heart of the Boulder JCC. After moving to its current facility in 2016, participation across programs exploded. The ECC now serves 165 children annually, Cherryvale Day Camp hosts over 1,000 summer campers, and the pioneering Forest School, where students spend up to 85% of their day learning in nature, now operates two full classes.

To support these thriving programs, the $2.5M Growing Up Outside campaign focuses on two key outdoor initiatives scheduled for completion before the end of 2026. A complete redesign of the ECC playground that expands the Rose Community Foundation Playground footprint by over 50%, introducing accessible play structures, expanded running space, enhanced shade, and distinct learning zones. Creating a home base for Forest School and Cherryvale Day Camp by transforming a half-acre west of the gymnasium into a dynamic landscape featuring natural climbing structures, exploration zones, outdoor classrooms, and a pavilion.

With physical construction underway, visitors will notice secure fencing, construction vehicles, and crews on site.

Adding to the campus’s evolution, neighboring Congregation Bonai Shalom anticipates breaking ground on their new building within the campus footprint this fall or winter.

For more information or to contribute to the Growing Up Outside capital campaign, visit the Boulder JCC campaign donation page.