Dr. Kokkonen Blogs

Yom HaShoah – Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Day

April 14, 2025 – HRA 18 Each Spring, the world pauses to observe one specific ...

April 14, 2026
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Stories that Shine – Pesach

April 3, 2025 – HRA18 Numbers 9:1-14; 28:19-25 During Pesach, which we know as the ...

April 3, 2026
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Stories that Shine – Tzav: Obedience, Sacrifice, and the Courage to Do What Is Right

When faith is tested, impatience can lead to dangerous choices. In this week’s Torah portion ...
March 27, 2026
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Stories that Shine – Vayikra: The Sanctity of Life, Blood, and the Lessons of the Holocaust

When faith is tested, impatience can lead to dangerous choices. In this week’s Torah portion ...
March 21, 2026
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Stories that Shine – VaYakhel–Pekudei: Community, Offering, and the Call to Build Together

When faith is tested, impatience can lead to dangerous choices. In this week’s Torah portion ...
March 13, 2026
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Stories that Shine – Ki Tisa: Patience, Faith, and the Danger of the Golden Calf

When faith is tested, impatience can lead to dangerous choices. In this week’s Torah portion ...
March 6, 2026
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Stories that Shine – Legacy, Blessing, and the Lion of Judah — From Genesis to Holocaust Memory

January 2, 2026 – Dr. Susanna Kokkonen Vayechi 5786 (2025) Genesis 47:28-50:26; 1. Kings 2:1-12. ...

January 2, 2026
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2025: The Year Antisemitism Entered the Mainstream

December 16, 2025 – Dr. Susanna Kokkonen Looking back at 2025, we can clearly identify ...

December 15, 2025
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Hanukkah in the Darkest Places: Light, Memory, and Defiance Through History

December 14, 2025 – Dr. Susanna Kokkonen Two elements are mostly connected to Hanukkah: Light ...

December 13, 2025
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Stories that Shine – Joseph’s Trials, Prophetic Insight, and the Modern Lessons of Israel’s Rebirth

December 12, 2025 – Dr. Susanna Kokkonen Vayeshev 5786 (2025) Genesis 37:1-40:23; Amos 2:6-3:8. Vayeshev, ...

December 12, 2025
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Pearl Harbor, Chelmno, and Lidice: How December 1941 Marked a Turning Point in the Holocaust

December 10, 2025 – Dr. Susanna Kokkonen December 2025 Blog Pearl Harbor The month of ...

December 10, 2025
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Stories that Shine – Jacob, Esau, and the Call to Be Upstanders

December 5, 2025 – Dr. Susanna Kokkonen Vayishlach 5786 (2025) Genesis 32:4-36:43; Obadiah 1-1:21. Vayishlach, ...

December 5, 2025
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