Last night, I joined Sarah and her children at their synagogue for Friday night services. It was a big occasion—their synagogue is celebrating its hundredth anniversary. I had been with them before on a couple other occasions, like the second day of Rosh Hashanah and the second night’s Passover Seder. They have a choir for special holidays, and the choir is behind wooden screens, and I didn’t know they had one. (Totally freaked me out when I heard them start singing on Rosh Hashanah, and I muttered anxiously, “Where are they?” to one of Sarah’s kids, who helpfully pointed out the screens to me.) There was a choir last night, as well as a soloist who was phenomenal.

The place was packed, of course. And the service was wonderful. I have not enjoyed a service at my synagogue almost since our former rabbi left. No, wait, I really liked the service that my students led. Oh, wait. The rabbi was off job-hunting at his new position that weekend. Daled class, the principal, and I led the service.

I stopped listening to our interim’s sermons at all after a while. I don’t think a series of anecdotes is a subsitute for a sermon about the week’s Torah portion. I don’t care for superficial touchy-feely “YOU have the power” crap thrown into what is supposed to be teaching us about the Torah. And I especially don’t like the way the center of attention has been shifted from the service—and I am including bar mitzvahs—to the interim rabbi. Narcissim is not, in my opinion, a good quality for a religious leader.

That’s why it was an absolute pleasure to see a rabbi who both knows how to write a great sermon, and who relates it to the event of the moment. The rabbi on Friday night went so far as to research—and quote from—the man who was rabbi during the last anniversary celebration. Now that is a man who knows what it is to lead a congregation, and to find out what the membership wants, and give it to them accordingly.

That’s what we used to have. I miss it.

This post is written exclusively from my point of view as a member of my congregation, not as a teacher.

On the heels of receiving $150 million from U.S. taxpayers, for the purpose of strengthening the PA to prevent terrorism, the Palestinian Prime Minister tells a Kuwaiti newspaper that the PA can’t do anything to stop rockets, terrorisim, or Hamas.

“There is no solution for the troubles in Gaza, or for the rockets being fired from it,” Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said in an interview for Kuwaiti journal al-Rai on Saturday. “All we can do is transfer funds to the Gaza Strip.”

Fayyad was referring to the detachment of the West Bank from Gaza following the hostile takeover of the coastal territory by Hamas, and to his authority’s helplessness in remedying the situation. “We can do nothing but transfer the clerks’ salaries and relief funds through the banks. We have tried numerous times to resolve this issue,” he said.

Let’s review: This is the Palestinian Prime Minister. This is the man whom Western and Israeli leaders consider to be a hardheaded moderate, who will end corruption by the PA. So what’s he doing with the money? Sending it to the people in Gaza because that’s all the PA can do about Gaza.

And oh, yeah, all those advanced weapons and training the U.S. is sending the PA? Doesn’t matter. They can’t do anything about Gaza. Except they can send money. Because the Palestinians in Gaza are unable to work. Shyeah. Like they had jobs that weren’t handouts before. Oh, wait. They did. Prior to the intifada, many of them worked in Israel, for decent wages. But then they started murdering their employers, and gee, the jobs dried up. Go figure.

“What you hear about the rate of 40% unemployment in Gaza is untrue. In actuality the rate is much higher. Because of the siege people have become frustrated, and have not been seeking employment.”

“If we had not transferred the clerks’ salaries the situation would have deteriorated to a general social disaster,” he continued.

Uh-huh. I’ve heard that one a lot lately, and yet, there doesn’t seem to be a single Palestinian in Gaza that is starving.

The EU transferred hundreds of millions as well. And Olmert promised to ease checkpoints and aid the Palestinians in numerous ways, conditioned, of course, on their stopping terror.

And what does the Palestinian PA say to a Kuwaiti newspaper? The PA is utterly helpless to stop terror.

Way to go, fools. This is an absolute I-Told-You-So moment.