—Rabbi Jonathan Malamy, Director of Meaningful Life

Good afternoon to all at The New Jewish Home.

I want to wish you each a very Happy Juneteenth.

Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. Though President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation technically took effect on January 1, 1863, the true ending of slavery was not actually in effect until after the end of the Civil War in 1865. On June 19 of that year, Union Army General Gordon Granger announced federal orders in Galveston, TX, that all slaves held in Texas had been freed. The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified that December 6th formally ending and forbidding all non-penal slavery everywhere in the United States.

—Rabbi Jonathan Malamy, Director of Meaningful Life

Today is Wednesday, June 10.

Hi there, Jewish Home Manhattan. 

I don’t know why, but I’m feeling hopeful. How come? Let’s investigate. I mean, the world is just as messy as it way yesterday, right?  There are some pretty bad things going on. But today, for whatever reason, I’m vibing on the good stuff.

—Rabbi Jonathan Malamy, Director of Meaningful Life

Good Morning Jewish Home Manhattan
Today is Monday, June 1. 

For a few weeks I was saving up a particular song for today’s message. It starts off like this:
I like New York in June. How about you?
I like a Gershwin tune, how about you?
I love a fireside, when a storm is due
I like potato chips, moonlight, motor trips, how about you?

— Rabbi Jonathan Malamy, Director of Meaningful Life

Good Afternoon, Jewish Home Manhattan.
Today is Friday, May 29.
Today is also the first day of Shavuot, the two-day Jewish harvest festival at the beginning of summer.

In the 26th chapter of Deuteronomy (verses 1-11), we read an early description of the holiday’s observance. There, when a person presents that season’s first fruits at the ancient Temple, they make a brief speech to the priest recounting their interwoven personal and national history. It evokes the pioneering journeys of Abraham and Sarah, the people’s enslavement in Egypt, the eventual liberation, the Israelite’s wandering and providence in the wilderness. And finally, it connects to their ongoing life in the land, a land famously flowing with milk and honey. 

—Rabbi Jonathan Malamy, Director of Meaningful Life

Good Afternoon, Jewish Home Manhattan.

Today is Thursday, May 28. 

When I was young, I thought staying up late was a magical thing. What mysteries would I discover, after bedtime? The first New Year’s Eve I was both allowed to (and succeeded to) make it all the way to midnight, I felt I had been initiated into a secret club of grown-ups. Not until college did I learn that procrastinators up against deadlines could become quite familiar with all-nighters. And the wee hours from two to five am are very different when you don’t want to be awake. Taking care of newborns or struggling with insomnia can bring a kind of hopeless desperation — why can’t I just close my eyes and go back to sleep?!

—Rabbi Jonathan Malamy, Director of Meaningful Life

Good afternoon, New Jewish Home Manhattan.

It’s Tuesday, May 26. Can you believe it? 

Memorial Day is behind us. It’s 70 degrees outside, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, the squirrels are jumping from branch to branch and the people are all wearing lovely blue…masks. 

—Rabbi Jonathan Malamy, Director of Meaningful Life

Good Afternoon Jewish Home Manhattan

Today is Thursday, May 21st. 

Some days are easy. Others test us. Today is a day that really tests us. And by that I mean, today is the day when all staff begins being literally tested for COVID-19—twice a week—to ensure that our workforce stays as healthy as possible while we provide loving care to all those who live at The New Jewish Home.

—Rabbi Jonathan Malamy, Director of Meaningful Life

Good Evening Jewish Home Manhattan

Today is Wednesday May 20th.

Let’s talk about multi-tasking — trying to do more than one thing at a time. Some people love the idea of it, accomplishing two (or more) things at once. Some people are suspicious. They know it’s more likely to mean that neither thing will get done as well as it should.

—Rabbi Jonathan Malamy, Director of Meaningful Life

Hello Jewish Home Manhattan. 

This is Tuesday May 19.

Where am I catching you today? For most of us most of the time, it takes little to no effort to place ourselves in our surroundings. We know who we are. We know our history. We know what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. We know what we care about and what we don’t, what we like and what turns us off.