Michael Balinsky
Rabbi Michael Balinsky is the Executive Vice President of the Chicago Board of Rabbis, an organization representing two hundred rabbis of all denominations. Previously he was Director of Faculty Development for the Florence Melton Adult Mini-Schools and was a Hillel director for twenty- two years, over nineteen of those as the director of the Louis and Saerree Fiedler Hillel Center at Northwestern University, after two and a half years as the Associate Director of Hillel at the University of Michigan. He is a long time member of the Jewish Catholic Scholars Dialogue in Chicago and is an executive member of the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago. Rabbi Balinsky is a graduate of Yeshiva University where he also received his ordination. He is married to Dr. Myra Rapoport and they are the parents of three daughters.
Articles by Michael Balinsky
Vote for Rabbi…….
Well I did not make it to the Newsweek Rabbi list, or even the My Jewish Learning Real Top Rabbi ...
Sacred Snacking
It is very hard after the seder to get excited about the last days of Passover. Seven/eight days of eating ...
Me, You and We
I have been an active participant in a group of Muslims, Christians and Jews that meets two to three times ...
I Don’t Go To Brooklyn
Cruising on Fifth Avenue one day, a taxi is hailed by a man standing on the corner. Entering the cab, ...
Some Purim Torah
Those of us who fall under the general rubric of “believers” may feel a sense of God’s presence in our ...
Hysteron Proteron
And Moses read the Book of the Covenant to the people and they said “All that God has commanded we ...
Returning Home?
The Exodus from Egypt is considered to be the foundational/orienting event for our sacred history. Many commandments are attached to ...
Silence and Slavery
My daughter sings in the choir at her Jewish high school. Only her mother can attend the annual concert. I ...
Exile, Authenticity and Truth
There is an oft quoted description of Torah being a combination of black fire and white fire and, perhaps surprisingly, ...
What is Hanukah?
“What is Hanukah?” the Talmud asks and typically each year at this time we are reminded by a variety of ...