October 31, 2025 – Dr. Susanna Kokkonen Lech Lecha 5786 (2025) Genesis 12:1-17:27; Isaiah 40:27-41:16 Lech Lecha, the name of this Torah portion contains a powerful lesson. It refers to Abram’s call. This is a familiar story to...
October 22, 2025 – Dr. Susanna Kokkonen The end of fighting in Gaza, the subsequent executions of Palestinians by Hamas and the Rafah attack against Israeli troops -despite ceasefire- dominated media in recent days. As two Israeli soldiers lost their lives,...
October 24, 2025 – Dr. Susanna Kokkonen Noach 5786 (2025) Genesis 6:9-11:32; Isaiah 54:1-10 Noach, the name of this Torah portion refers to a righteous man called Noah. This is a very familiar story to many of us. We may feel that it...
October 22, 2025 – Dr. Susanna Kokkonen At the beginning of WWII, children everywhere were still children with dreams and hopes for the future. But a terrible war, although preceded by years of propaganda and warmongering, still started suddenly. Things changed...
October 17, 2025 – Dr. Susanna Kokkonen Bereshit 5786 (2025) Genesis 1:1-6:8; Isaiah 42:5-21 Bereshit, the name of this Torah portion means “in the beginning.” This refers to the very beginning of the Bible. It is the first...
October 16, 2025 – Dr. Susanna Kokkonen Years ago when I was working at the World Holocaust Remembrance Center of Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, I realized that there is one person almost everyone knows from the Holocaust. This young girl is Anne Frank. It was...
