Rabbis During Wartime
February 27, 2024
In providing venues for both consolation of suffering and the arousal of activism, rabbis lead our synagogues towards becoming communities of deep meaning.
Rabbi Mike was raised in Rockland County, New York, just north of New York City. As a teenager, Rabbi Mike became involved with the local NAACP and helped start his high school’s first Amnesty International chapter. In retrospect, he has identified the Jewish imperative of r’difat tzedek – the mitzvah to pursue justice – as the force that solidified his love of Judaism and his passion to become a rabbi.
His writing has been featured in The Nation, The Forward, Tikkun, Sojourners, Alma, Ha’aretz, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the anthology, Peace, Justice, and Jews: Reclaiming Our Tradition. An AJWS Global Justice Fellow and a proud alumnus of Seminary Summer, a joint project of the AFL-CIO and Interfaith Worker Justice, Rabbi Mike is frequently invited to teach at national Jewish learning platforms such as Limmud, Mazon, and Moishe House, sought out for his leadership at the intersection of faith and justice. Rabbi Mike’s religious-based activism has been covered in several media outlets, including CNN and i24 Israeli television.
Devoted to creating and nurturing vibrant learning communities, teaching Torah that touches heart, mind, and soul, and continuing the Jewish mission he discovered as a teenager of pursuing justice, Rabbi Mike is a passionate advocate for the idea that every moment is an opportunity to make a Jewish choice. Rabbi Mike just celebrated 10 years married to his husband, internationally-acclaimed Yiddish vocalist Anthony Mordechai Tvzi Russell, who kindly tolerates his passion for fair-trade coffee, Bob Dylan, and manual transmission.
In providing venues for both consolation of suffering and the arousal of activism, rabbis lead our synagogues towards becoming communities of deep meaning.
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
