Andres Mariano

The long road to the origin of Tisha Be’av, the day in 70 CE in which the Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed, started decades before, during the reign of Alexander Yannai. Yannai was the grandson of Simon Maccabee, a charismatic leader who commanded the respect of Jews and Gentiles and who seemed, for a time, to unite the different factions of the Jewish People. Yannai started his reign on the proverbial right foot. He was from the priestly class and thus had affinity for the Sadducean...

By Andrés Spokoiny - September 26, 2025 In the last few years, American Jews have experienced “the return of history.” Antisemitism,...

Dear Friends and partners, One of the most beautiful pieces of Jewish liturgy is one of the most modern: the Prayer for the State of...