I write about:
- Jewish ethics and public policy
- Labor, economics, and moral responsibility
- LGBTQ inclusion in Jewish life
- The intersection of text and activism
My writing aims to bridge rigorous analysis with accessible moral clarity.
Selected Writing (Most Recent First)
May 1, 2022
- A Prayer for Workers — New England Jewish Labor Committee
Labor dignity and Jewish liturgy.
November 29, 2021
- How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Almost Love the Maccabees — JewishBoston
Hanukkah, power, and ambivalence.
January 6, 2021
- The Best Way to Stop a Bad Guy with a Gun? A Good Rabbi with a Chair. — Hey Alma
Synagogue safety, courage, and communal defense.
December 7, 2020
- Stop Peddling LGBTQ Discrimination in the Name of Religion — Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Religious liberty, equality, and civil rights.
July 10, 2020
- Dear Public Officials: We Don’t Need Calm. We Need Mourning. — Sojourners
Public grief and moral leadership.
June 2, 2020
- The Blood We Are Seeing in the Street Was Always There — Sojourners
Racial justice and prophetic voice.
March 31, 2020
- Passover During the Pandemic: The Art of Surviving and Thriving — Sojourners
Ritual, resilience, and crisis theology.
October 8, 2019
- Don’t Let the Hour Go By — The Forward
Jewish moral urgency and public responsibility.
August 8, 2018
- We Jews Must Resist Assimilating into Trump and Bibi’s Whiteness — Haaretz
Jewish identity, power, and political ethics.
July 7, 2017
- How to Become a Sodomite in Five Easy Steps — J. The Jewish News of Northern California
Queer identity, Torah interpretation, and moral panic.
June 30, 2017
- Acton Synagogue’s New Rabbi for a New Generation — The Boston Globe
Profile and congregational leadership.
March 7, 2016
- I Marched for Hector — HuffPost
Immigration, solidarity, and public witness.
February 16, 2016
- That Ol’ White Privilege Wears a Yarmulke — HuffPost
Race, Jewish identity, and moral responsibility.
Author Pages & Archives
The Forward – Author Page & Archives
Jewish Women’s Archive – Michael Rothbaum
Thematic Threads Reflected in This Writing
- Jewish ethics and public policy
- Labor, economics, and moral responsibility
- LGBTQ inclusion in Jewish life
- The intersection of text and activism
My aim in each piece is to bridge rigorous analysis with accessible moral clarity.
Rabbi Mike Rothbaum 