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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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 Living Our Lives at Eye Level

Dear Friends,     

On the holiday of Purim, we read the Book of Esther and learn the story of how the courageous Esther entered the palace of King Achashverosh and saved the Jewish People from destruction. This is a profound literary work riddled with satire of a society and its leaders,…

Hope Beyond the Divide

Dear Friends,

As a North American Jew who feels deep love and responsibility for Israel and the Jewish People, I find this moment in time profoundly humbling and vexing. This week has highlighted both our struggles and our resiliency, both the depths of our dividedness and the power of our …

We Remember

Dear Friends,

Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day and marks 78 years since the liberation of Auschwitz. It is a day to honor the millions of victims and remember one of the darkest moments in Jewish and human history. It is a day to contemplate the horrors of which even ordinar…

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…