Posted on February 27, 2026 by Rabbi Noah Diamondstein
Dear friends,
This Shabbat is Shabbat Zachor, a Shabbat for remembering–on which we are commanded to remember Amalek, an evil People that terrorized us in our ancient past. On this Shabbat, and on Purim as we blot out Haman’s name, we are enjoined to continue to blot out this People’s memory, of which Haman was one particularly evil descendant.
This week, a bill was put forth in the Knesset in Israel that filled me with the same outrage I reserve for Amalek. The bill is designed to criminalize all non-Orthodox Jewish practices at the Kotel, which would be a horrible blow to the growth and standing of non-Orthodox Judaism in Israel writ large. An ad ran in Yediyot Acharonot, a prominent conservative Israeli news publication, that read: “The Kotel is only the beginning,” signaling an open threat to the future of Jewish pluralism in the only Jewish State.
I’ll speak further about this troubling development and other similarly troubling developments at services tonight, but suffice it to say that I am utterly appalled and fiercely determined to raise my voice to see this bill shut down. I encourage you to read the strong words of Rabbi Josh Weinberg, director of ARZA, who condemned the proposed legislation as an abomination of the meaning of Zionism. You can read Rabbi Weingerg’s comments here.
I hope that your Purim festivities are made more meaningful by your blotting out of Amalek, this Shabbat and always, and that our graggers are the sound that signals the beginning of a more just, more tolerant future.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Noah Diamondstein