Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on January 30, 2014

Franklin Lakes The downfall of one of the countrys most accomplished journalists has given one rabbi the chance to speak from a pulpit greater than he ever could have imagined.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID NESENOFF

Although Rabbi David Nesenoff, who will speak at 10 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 2, at the Chabad Jewish Center of Northwest Bergen County in Franklin Lakes, had already forged a reputation as a religious leader, filmmaker and anti-bias educator, his legacy will forever be linked to longtime White House correspondent Helen Thomas.

Both he and Thomas were part of a media contingent at a White House reception honoring Jewish American Heritage Month on May 27, 2010. As Thomas was leaving across the White House lawn, Nesenoff, who was representing his blog RabbiLive.com, recorded a brief interview asking Thomas for her comments on Israel.

Thomas response that Jews should "get the hell out of Palestine" and "go home" to Poland or Germany created a media frenzy and resulted in Thomas tendering her resignation from her post at Hearst Newspapers, which ended her 50-year career as a White House correspondent.

"To get attached to a global story like that is really shocking," Nesenoff said in a Jan. 22 phone interview. "It allows you a window to the world to see things and for people to see you.

"It also gave me an opportunity to get a message out, and its quite a responsibility," he said. "Are you going to sell T-shirts or are you going to change the world?"

Nesenoff grew up on Long Island and studied at Yeshiva University and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, at which he received rabbinical ordination.

He served as a rabbi at various congregations in New York until 2010.

In the mid-1990s, Nesenoff started working as an anti-bias educator.

Go here to read the rest:
Rabbi brings anti-bias message to Franklin Lakes

Category: Jewish American Heritage Month
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