Jeff Goldwasser
@goldwasser.bsky.social
Rabbi in Rhode Island. Husband, father, anti-poverty activist, Red Sox fan. I don’t hesitate to block those who disparage my faith and my people. He/Him.
On this Thanksgiving, it seems worth remembering that Jews are an indigenous people of Israel/Palestine, but that everyone in the Americas who is not a Native American is part of a colonial settler state. Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃
November 27, 2025 at 7:17 PM
On this Thanksgiving, it seems worth remembering that Jews are an indigenous people of Israel/Palestine, but that everyone in the Americas who is not a Native American is part of a colonial settler state. Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃
Attacking people for saying, “Don’t follow illegal orders,” makes you look guilty as hell. How is it that anyone doesn’t see that?
November 26, 2025 at 12:41 AM
Attacking people for saying, “Don’t follow illegal orders,” makes you look guilty as hell. How is it that anyone doesn’t see that?
Were you somehow hoping that the people who voted for him knowing that he was a convicted criminal would care when they found out that he was also a pedophile?
November 18, 2025 at 12:58 AM
Were you somehow hoping that the people who voted for him knowing that he was a convicted criminal would care when they found out that he was also a pedophile?
We, like the trees, are sustained by the insubstantial and our lives are built out of thin air.
Sermon for Kol Nidre.
Sermon for Kol Nidre.
Out of Thin Air
This is the sermon I delivered at Temple Sinai in Cranston, Rhode Island, at the Kol Nidre service on October 1, 2025. My family and I vacationed in the San Francisco Bay Area last year. On the...
www.rebjeff.com
October 2, 2025 at 2:29 AM
We, like the trees, are sustained by the insubstantial and our lives are built out of thin air.
Sermon for Kol Nidre.
Sermon for Kol Nidre.
“What rabbinic Judaism did 1,500 years ago is what we should be doing now – recognizing that people are different. All human beings should be allowed to be who they are – and not be beholden to somebody else’s idea of who they should be.”
"If I am I and You are You..."
This is the sermon I delivered at Temple Sinai in Cranston, Rhode Island, for the first day of Rosh Hashanah 5786. Menachem Mendl of Kotzk, also known as the Kotzker Rebbe, was a prominent chasidic...
www.rebjeff.com
September 23, 2025 at 9:45 PM
“What rabbinic Judaism did 1,500 years ago is what we should be doing now – recognizing that people are different. All human beings should be allowed to be who they are – and not be beholden to somebody else’s idea of who they should be.”
You want to stand with the Palestinian people? Stand with the Palestinians who risk their lives by standing against the death-loving, theocratic cult of Hamas.
Anti-Hamas protests in southern Gaza enter third day
Protesters were seen in videos calling for an end to the war and the removal of the armed group from Gaza
www.bbc.com
May 21, 2025 at 10:00 PM
You want to stand with the Palestinian people? Stand with the Palestinians who risk their lives by standing against the death-loving, theocratic cult of Hamas.
“I could be a stupid person and say, ‘Oh, no. We don’t want a free giant wooden horse.’”
—King Priam of Troy
—King Priam of Troy
May 14, 2025 at 2:22 AM
“I could be a stupid person and say, ‘Oh, no. We don’t want a free giant wooden horse.’”
—King Priam of Troy
—King Priam of Troy
Just a question here. If Pope Leo XIV were a student in a Florida classroom, would his teachers be legally required to call him by the name on his birth certificate if they didn’t have written permission from his parents to call him by his papal name?
May 9, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Just a question here. If Pope Leo XIV were a student in a Florida classroom, would his teachers be legally required to call him by the name on his birth certificate if they didn’t have written permission from his parents to call him by his papal name?
Chag sameach. Let all who are hungry come and eat!
April 13, 2025 at 2:58 AM
Chag sameach. Let all who are hungry come and eat!
I spoke at the press conference of the RI Predatory Lending Reform Coalition. The GA must close the loophole that lets storefront payday lenders target and ensnare Rhode Islanders — many consumers of color — in cycles of debt. My part starts at 30:00. capitoltvri.cablecast.tv/show/11117?s...
April 11, 2025 at 10:25 AM
I spoke at the press conference of the RI Predatory Lending Reform Coalition. The GA must close the loophole that lets storefront payday lenders target and ensnare Rhode Islanders — many consumers of color — in cycles of debt. My part starts at 30:00. capitoltvri.cablecast.tv/show/11117?s...
“Israel bombs us without mercy and Hamas doesn’t care if we die.”
— Sharif al-Buheisi, 56, resident of Gaza
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/w...
— Sharif al-Buheisi, 56, resident of Gaza
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/w...
Protesters in Gaza Call on Hamas to Step Aside
Demanding an end to the war, hundreds pressed the militants to relinquish control of the enclave, a rare demonstration against a group that has suppressed dissent with violence.
www.nytimes.com
April 4, 2025 at 11:40 AM
“Israel bombs us without mercy and Hamas doesn’t care if we die.”
— Sharif al-Buheisi, 56, resident of Gaza
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/w...
— Sharif al-Buheisi, 56, resident of Gaza
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/w...
Donald Trump was famous for saying, “You’re fired!” as a tv reality show personality, but he doesn’t have the guts to fire a Secretary of Defense who compromised national security by sharing classified information on a platform specifically prohibited by a longstanding DoD policy.
March 27, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Donald Trump was famous for saying, “You’re fired!” as a tv reality show personality, but he doesn’t have the guts to fire a Secretary of Defense who compromised national security by sharing classified information on a platform specifically prohibited by a longstanding DoD policy.
“What’s the name of the holiday when you take down the last of the Hanukkah decorations?“
“President’s Day.“
(Joke, not a joke).
“President’s Day.“
(Joke, not a joke).
February 17, 2025 at 6:48 PM
“What’s the name of the holiday when you take down the last of the Hanukkah decorations?“
“President’s Day.“
(Joke, not a joke).
“President’s Day.“
(Joke, not a joke).
Your government is being dismantled, piece by piece. It is being bled to death. This is not what the Framers had in mind when they charged the Executive Branch with the duty to “faithfully execute” the law.
February 16, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Your government is being dismantled, piece by piece. It is being bled to death. This is not what the Framers had in mind when they charged the Executive Branch with the duty to “faithfully execute” the law.
President Trump’s call for the U.S. to “take over the Gaza Strip” is a disaster for Israel. It threatens the hostages, sets up generations of violence and war, and is an unambiguous threat of war crimes. The Jewish community must speak loudly against such an outrage being committed in our name.
February 5, 2025 at 1:55 AM
President Trump’s call for the U.S. to “take over the Gaza Strip” is a disaster for Israel. It threatens the hostages, sets up generations of violence and war, and is an unambiguous threat of war crimes. The Jewish community must speak loudly against such an outrage being committed in our name.
My friend, Rabbi Barry Block, had this bumper sticker stolen off his car by someone who also left a nasty note. I ordered four of them, one for each member of my family. You can, too, at: ncjw.myshopify.com/products/car...
Car Magnet
Made in USA 4" diameter
ncjw.myshopify.com
January 27, 2025 at 8:00 PM
My friend, Rabbi Barry Block, had this bumper sticker stolen off his car by someone who also left a nasty note. I ordered four of them, one for each member of my family. You can, too, at: ncjw.myshopify.com/products/car...
For his first significant act on food prices, President Trump just raised the price of coffee.
January 26, 2025 at 11:52 PM
For his first significant act on food prices, President Trump just raised the price of coffee.
I support the deal to let the hostages come home, grateful they will finally be reunited with their loved ones. This despite the fact that it will require the release of hundreds of convicted murders. 1/2
January 19, 2025 at 9:52 PM
I support the deal to let the hostages come home, grateful they will finally be reunited with their loved ones. This despite the fact that it will require the release of hundreds of convicted murders. 1/2
On the first day of the GA’s 2025 session, the RI Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty held the annual Fighting Poverty with Faith Vigil at the State House. Thank you to all the amazing faith leaders who blessed our elected officials and challenged them to govern with wisdom, care and compassion.
January 8, 2025 at 3:31 AM
On the first day of the GA’s 2025 session, the RI Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty held the annual Fighting Poverty with Faith Vigil at the State House. Thank you to all the amazing faith leaders who blessed our elected officials and challenged them to govern with wisdom, care and compassion.
TODAY IS STILL CHANUKAH. One of the curiosities of Chanukah is that there is a full 24 hours left at the end of the holiday after the last candle burns out. This final day, until sunset this evening, is known as “Zot Chanukah,” literally, “This is Chanukah.”
January 2, 2025 at 1:59 PM
TODAY IS STILL CHANUKAH. One of the curiosities of Chanukah is that there is a full 24 hours left at the end of the holiday after the last candle burns out. This final day, until sunset this evening, is known as “Zot Chanukah,” literally, “This is Chanukah.”
For the last night of Chanukah, we have three full menorahs at home, plus one with the oldest daughter on FaceTime. The Talmud is silent on the question of using an iPhone to make the blessings together, so I reckon it’s okay. #happychanukah
January 1, 2025 at 11:31 PM
For the last night of Chanukah, we have three full menorahs at home, plus one with the oldest daughter on FaceTime. The Talmud is silent on the question of using an iPhone to make the blessings together, so I reckon it’s okay. #happychanukah
Sixth night of Chanukah.
December 31, 2024 at 1:25 AM
Sixth night of Chanukah.