Leon Mazin

Shavei Tzyon | Return to Zion Congregation Haifa, Israel Galilee in springtime overlooking Jezreel Valley and IDF Air Force base - © Photo by Ori Every Tuesday I drive my daughter to her cello lessons half an hour away. In our Haifa music school, “Keshet Tslilim,” we teach almost every instrument—except the cello. So, I take her there myself. The music school sits on the outskirts of a small town, and I wait for my daughter on a covered balcony overlooking the forest. It is springtime. Rains...

Shavei Tzyon | Return to Zion Congregation Haifa, Israel Our mens' retreat in a bomb shelter the day that the war on Iran began. Shalom, dear friends. So many of you have been reaching out lately, asking how we are doing. You’ve asked what it’s like to live under simultaneous missile fire from Iran and Hezbollah… For decades there have been negotiations with Iran – threats, protests, ups and downs. But now, within several weeks, God is changing things. It feels like an earthquake. “ Praise be...

Shavei Tzyon | Return to Zion Congregation Haifa, Israel As a matter of fact, they are. It is the age when a child becomes personally responsible before the Almighty for their behavior (literally becoming a son or daughter of the commandment). Traditionally, a boy is called up to the Torah scroll, whereas an Israeli Bat Mitzvah (the coming of age of a girl) is often reduced to just a party. However, it’s different in our Congregation. Here a girl also takes responsibility before God: she...