The Truthful Project

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”   Just thirty-one words. Yet full of foundational meaning to every American, regardless of one’s personal place on the political spectrum. The first part of the pledge obviously identifies who we are pledging our allegiance to. However, this personal declaration is important to make. By clearly stating it in the first person, it allows us to be part of the whole while maintaining our individuality. The second part of the pledge defines what beautiful and meaningful and impactful ideals we are pledging our allegiance to. “ One Nation .” We are a diverse nation of immigrants and natives. Yet we pledge ourselves to be part of one nation. The personal start of the pledge still allows us to maintain and be proud of our individual heritage and/or religious beliefs through the inclusion of the phrase “ und...

Definition of a bully and the act of bullying: One who consistently seeks to harm or intimidate those whom they perceive as vulnerable. T o treat someone in a cruel, insulting, threatening, or aggressive fashion. T o cause someone to do something by means of force or coercion. I reached out to a long-time friend and NYC advertising colleague, David Eng-Chernack, Deputy Executive Director for Communications and Development at GLSEN, a non-profit focused on anti-bullying for LGBTQ youth, and an expert on ‘bullying.’ He pointed out that “A bully's goal is to intimidate and make you fear to the point where you are rendered powerless and not able to resist or fight back. A bully also wants the upper hand.” When asked what happens if the bully’s threats of violence are not confronted by the victim or supporters of the victim? David Eng-Chernack replied, “It empowers and emboldens them to continue their behavior but more importantly, it tells them that their behavior is an appropri...

(As appeared in the Jerusalem Post )   With Passover ( Pesach ) quickly approaching, it might be a good time to start the discussion on Kitniyot. It is the question repeatedly asked: “Do you eat Kitniyot?”   Let’s start with defining what is Kitniyot. According to the Orthodox Union (OU), it is an Ashkenazic minhag (custom) developed in the Middle Ages to not eat certain foods known collectively as “kitniyot.”   The OU cites three reasons for the minhag : (a) kitniyot is harvested and processed in the same manner as chametz (leaven or food mixed with leaven), (b) it is ground into flour and baked just like chametz [so people may mistakenly believe that if they can eat kitniyot, they can also eat chametz], (c) it may have chametz grains mixed into it [so people who eat kitniyot may inadvertently be eating chametz ]. Although there were those who initially objected to the minhag , it has become an accepted part of Pesach in all Ashkenazic communities...