Confession of a Disillusioned Israeli
November 11, 2024
I didn’t want to face what we are culpable for, nor did I want to acknowledge what we were capable of.
Mike Shore grew up in Jerusalem, where he was raised in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish environment. His youth was shaped by religious teachings in yeshivah, yet his search for answers eventually led him to pursue a different path. He is a certified yoga teacher and highly committed to the practice of insight meditation. Mike has spent a cumulative year in intensive silent meditation retreats in India, Myanmar and the United States, where he deepened his understanding of mindfulness and Buddhist teachings. He received his undergraduate degree in philosophy from UC Berkeley, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in counseling psychology at the University of San Francisco, with the intent of helping individuals achieve greater emotional and mental well-being.
I didn’t want to face what we are culpable for, nor did I want to acknowledge what we were capable of.
We do well to remain vigilant about the ways in which our overarching narratives become self-serving and one-sided.
Far from being a bleak reality, when we view ourselves as lacking free will, it actually brings about significant and desirable implications.
There are few things as meaningful as deeply exploring what it really means to be a conscious being in this world.
Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement
Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis
Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues
Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives
