Fwd: Jewish Debate and the American Civic Project; A Former Hostage's Message to Jewish Teens; Navigating the Shiva House with Sensitivity and Respect

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From: Shabbat Shalom <shabbatshalom@ounetwork.org>
Date: Thu, Jun 4, 2026, 5:03 PM
Subject: Jewish Debate and the American Civic Project; A Former Hostage's Message to Jewish Teens; Navigating the Shiva House with Sensitivity and Respect
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Plus: Celebrating 250 Years of America: The Orthodox Jewish Experience PARSHAT BEHA’ALOTECHA June 5-6, 2026 / 21 Sivan 5786  FEATURED Jewish Debate and the American Civic Project Rabbi Dr. Josh Joseph As America approaches its 250th anniversary, our EVP and COO, Rabbi Dr. Josh Joseph, explores what the Jewish concept of machlokes l’sheim shamayim (disagreement for the sake of Heaven) can teach us about respectful debate, civic responsibility, and maintaining a shared future despite deep differences. Read in Tradition New Community Personal Finance Survey Help shape the conversation around affordability in the Orthodox community. This brief, anonymous survey, conducted by the OU’s Living Smarter Jewish, Kosher Money, Jewish Nonprofit and Research Institute, and Kosher Debt Help, will gather insights that help illuminate the financial realities facing frum families and provide community leaders with the information needed to drive meaningful solutions. Take the Survey Navigating the Shiva House with Sensitivity and Respect For many people, shiva houses are uncomfortable places. Most of us want to offer comfort, but we’re not always sure what to say, how to act, or where the boundaries are. We spoke with Rabbi Ilan Feldman, senior rabbi of Beth Jacob Atlanta and a trained counseling psychologist, about shiva-house etiquette and the most meaningful ways to support mourners. Read More  AROUND THE OU NCSY A Former Hostage's Message to Jewish Teens Former October 7 hostage Maya Regev recently addressed more than 175 students at Tenafly High School through Bergen County JSU, NCSY’s network of Jewish culture clubs in public schools. Sharing her story of survival and resilience, Regev encouraged the students to approach difficult conversations with empathy, responsibility, and pride in their Jewish identity. Read in The Jewish Standard Yachad Everyone Belongs: A Conversation with Yachad and Morah Tziri As children prepare for camp and new social experiences, Yachad and Morah Tziri, founder of the InKredible Kids platform, have partnered to share an important message: everyone deserves to feel like they belong. Through an honest conversation about inclusion, kindness, and friendship, this video offers a meaningful lesson for children and adults alike. Watch the Video Jewish Action Celebrating 250 Years of America: The Orthodox Jewish Experience In celebration of America’s semiquincentennial — the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence — it is fitting to pause and reflect on the American Jewish experience, and specifically the Orthodox Jewish experience. Read More  UPCOMING EVENTS SPIRIT Between This World and the Next: Chevra Kadisha, Grief, and the Journey of the Soul Tuesday, June 16, at 12:00 PM EDT, on Zoom Register Now OU Advocacy OU Advocacy Mission to Washington June 22 – 23, in Washington, D.C. Register Now Halacha Initiatives National Shatnez Conference for Testers and Askanim Monday, July 6, at 12:00 PM EDT, at the OU Headquarters in NYC Register Now  TORAH L'Kadsho Using an Elevator on Shabbos Rabbi Shmuel Silber reviews the ups and downs of using an elevator on Shabbos! Plus… Rabbi Akiva Willig on the cup for bentching at shalosh seudos, and more! Using an Elevator on Shabbos - Listen Now More on L'Kadsho Rabbi Menachem Genack A Separate Sefer This parsha, according to one tannaitic view, contains a separate sefer of 85 letters. What does this mean? Read in Hebrew Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman What’s the Backstory? Zechariah reminds us that the Jewish people are never unseen. Even in exile, even in concealment, Hashem watches over His people with the protectiveness one has for the “pupil of His eye.” Read More Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider Second Chances Anyone who missed out on bringing a korban pesach due to impurity would have been exempt from the mitzvah. Those who petitioned to bring one were given a second chance, Pesach Sheni, because they were going the extra mile in asking for the opportunity to fulfill the mitzvah. Read More Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, zt"l Moses’ Challenge The episode in this week’s Torah portion, at the place that became known as Kivrot Hataavah, was not the first such challenge Moses had faced, but the fourth. Yet Moses’ reaction this time is nothing less than complete despair. Read More Rabbi Jack Abramowitz Strengthening Ourselves to Do Chesed The gemara teaches that four things require that we fortify ourselves: learning Torah, engaging in our occupations, prayer and – you guessed it! – performing acts of chesed. Read More Rabbi Anthony Manning Kavod Habriyot: Respect for Human Dignity Historically, kavod in most cultures was reserved for royalty, or the rich and powerful. Judaism, however, embraces the concept of kavod for everyone. Watch Now Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb A Second Chance In this week’s Torah portion, Parshat Beha’alotecha, we read of a group of people who were unable to fulfill their responsibilities the first time around. Rather than shrug their shoulders, “…they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day.” They wanted, nay demanded, a second chance. Read More Halacha Yomis Cake at Shalosh Seudos: Meal or Snack? If you started eating cake before shkiyah, may you continue after sunset? The answer hinges on whether cake is treated like bread, or a snack. Read More  THIS WEEK ON SOCIAL Orthodox Union Our OU family was privileged to join thousands in support of Israel at this year’s Israel Day on 5th Parade.