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Michelle Dardashti, 42, rabbi
Michelle Dardashti, the first non-Orthodox Iranian-American pulpit rabbi in the United States, became rabbi at Kane Street Synagogue in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn beginning in June 2022. A self-described “radical pluralist,” she has been supporting the journeys of Jews of all ages and stages, building a community of Jews in their 20s-40s, launching a Rosh Chodesh group that features artistic, literary and contemplative engagement with the new month, and experimenting with a Renewal-style Friday night service called “Kivun.” Before Kane Street, she served as the associate university chaplain at Brown University and the rabbi of Brown RISD Hillel, where she created initiatives for Jews of mixed identity, interfaith justice dinners, the Hillel Initiative on Racial Awareness and Justice and The Narrow Bridge Project, a dialogue group for students seeking to “reach across divides” on Israel. Dardashti lives in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.
For the full list of this year’s “36 to Watch” — which honors leaders, entrepreneurs and changemakers who are making a difference in New York’s Jewish community — click here.
How does your Jewish identity or experience influence your work?
As the proud daughter of an American folk singer and teacher and an Iranian-born cantor, I was raised on a brand of Judaism that is multicultural, meta-denominational, musical and global. I’ve been shaped by both my Eastern European and Persian ancestors. I learned so much in the big, suburban, Ashkenazi Conservative synagogues where my father served as hazzan. But it was the Judaism of my home, where my American mom and Iranian dad literally sang in harmony, that stirred my soul and shaped the leader I am today.
My father’s mother, Hoori Edna, came from the ancient Persian capital city of Shushan, where the Purim story unfolds, and when she and my grandfather moved to Israel in the 1960s, they built an Iranian synagogue in Rishon Lezion, called Beit Knesset Shushan Habirah. As a kid, I loved sitting in the small balcony section for women with my savta [grandmother] and learning the different melodies, rhythms and accents I heard in prayer there. But back in the USA, I also loved visiting my mom’s parents in Florida, where “shul” was a day at the pool or playing folk songs on guitar.
Who is your New York Jewish hero?
My mom, Sheila Dardashti. She grew up in Queens and went to LaGuardia High School. She has a master’s in special education and taught in that field for the majority of her career. Throughout her life, however, she’s used music to teach the story of peoples’ striving for freedom, justice and better lives for themselves and those around them.
What’s a fun/surprising fact about you?
Starting at age 6, I sang and performed as part of my family singing troupe, “A Dash of Dardashti.” We weren’t exactly The Partridge Family, but we hit Jewish festivals, synagogues and residential communities throughout North America during winter and summer breaks and sang in 12 different languages. My parents’ passions for Jewish community and storytelling through music came alive for me when we were on stage.
Do you have a favorite inspiring quote?
“A person must traverse a very very narrow bridge… and the most important thing is that they are not afraid.” — Rabbi Nachman of Breslov
What is your favorite place to eat Jewish food in New York?
My parents’ home in Westchester! It’s a mix of Persian (my dad has become quite the tahdig-maker in his retirement) and American (my mom’s cranberry sauce chicken is divine).
How can people follow you online?
Check out Kane Street’s Instagram and Facebook, or sign up for our weekly newsletter, Kane Street Connections.
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The post Michelle Dardashti, 42, rabbi appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Lindsey Graham urges Israel not to strike Iranian oil depots even as he says he helped make war happen
(JTA) — Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has called on Israel to rein in its attacks on Iranian oil infrastructure, marking a rare note of caution from a Republican lawmaker who has said he helped push the United States to join Israel in waging war against Iran.
In a post on X on Sunday, Graham praised Israel for its role in the war before adding that “there will be a day soon that the Iranian people will be in charge of their own fate, not the murderous ayatollah’s regime.”
“In that regard, please be cautious about what targets you select,” continued Graham. “Our goal is to liberate the Iranian people in a fashion that does not cripple their chance to start a new and better life when this regime collapses. The oil economy of Iran will be essential to that endeavor.”
Graham’s post linked to an Axios article that reported that the United States was alarmed by Israeli strikes over the weekend that targeted 30 Iranian fuel depots. On Monday, U.S. gas prices rose to their highest levels since 2024.
The warning from Graham, an ally of President Donald Trump and staunch supporter of Israel, comes days after the Republican hawk told the Wall Street Journal that he had played a key role in urging Trump to strike Iran.
Prior to the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, Graham made several trips to Israel where he met with members of the Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu whom he said he coached on how to lobby Trump to strike Iran.
“They’ll tell me things our own government won’t tell me,” Graham told the newspaper.
On Monday, Graham also directed his criticism at Saudi Arabia’s decision to stay on the sidelines of the campaign against Iran.
“It is my understanding the Kingdom refuses to use their capable military as a part of an effort to end the barbaric and terrorist Iranian regime who has terrorized the region and killed 7 Americans,” wrote Graham in a post on X Monday. “Question – why should America do a defense agreement with a country like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is unwilling to join a fight of mutual interest?”
The post Lindsey Graham urges Israel not to strike Iranian oil depots even as he says he helped make war happen appeared first on The Forward.
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Belgian officials investigating synagogue explosion as possible act of terrorism
(JTA) — Belgian officials are investigating an explosion in front of a synagogue in Liège early Monday as a possible act of terrorism.
The explosion, which took place at 4 a.m., damaged the door of the historic neo-Romanesque synagogue and blew out the windows of multiple buildings across the street. No injuries were reported.
A range of Belgian politicians, including the prime minister and the mayor of Liège, characterized the explosion as act of antisemitism.
“Antisemitism is an attack on our values and our society, and we must fight it unequivocally,” Prime Minister Bart de Wever said in a statement. “We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community in Liege and across the country.”
The explosion comes amid a surge of concern about possible attacks by agents associated with the Iranian regime, against which the United States and Israel launched a war last week. Iran has a long record of supporting attacks on Jewish targets abroad, including two bombings in the 1990s in Argentina that killed more than 100 people at the Israeli embassy and a Jewish community center. Now, with Iran being pummeled at home, watchdogs are warning that it might lash out through its Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, responsible for attacks abroad.
Azerbaijan said Friday that it had foiled multiple terror attacks planned by Iranian agents on Jewish sites. In London, four men were arrested last week for allegedly spying on the Jewish community for Iran, with the intent of planning attacks against the community. And a string of shootings at synagogues in Toronto has ignited concern in Canada, too.
Iranian agents have taken aim at non-Jewish targets, too. On Friday, a Pakistani man who prosecutors said had been directed by Iran’s IRGC was convicted of plotting to assassinate President Donald Trump.
The attack in Liège, in the primarily French-speaking Wallonia province, comes amid a range of recent developments that have unsettled Belgian Jews, who number approximately 30,000. They include antisemitic carnival caricatures in the city of Aalst; a ban on ritual slaughter preventing the local production of kosher meat; and an ongoing row between U.S. and Belgian officials over Jewish circumcision practices. The attack also follows a 2014 shooting in which a gunman associated with the Islamic State, a rival to Iran’s Islamic Republic, shot four people to death at the Jewish Museum in Brussels.
A spokesperson for the Liège police described the effects to the area as “only material damage” to the 1899 building. Rabbi Joshua Nejman told local media that he was hoping that security footage would reveal the perpetrator.
“I’m going to try to calm my heart, because it is beating faster and faster this morning,” said Nejman, who said he had been at the synagogue for 25 years.
“Liege is home to a very small but vibrant Jewish community where I personally grew up,” Eitan Bergman, vice president of the Coordinating Committee of Jewish Organisations in Belgium, told Reuters. “Today, the feelings among our community members are a mixture of sadness, worry and profound shock.”
Liege’s mayor, Willy Demeyer, praised the synagogue community to RBTF, Belgium’s French-language national broadcaster. He added, “We cannot allow foreign conflicts to be imported into our city.”
The post Belgian officials investigating synagogue explosion as possible act of terrorism appeared first on The Forward.
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The Top 100 People Positively Influencing Jewish Life, 2025
In honor of The Algemeiner‘s 12th annual gala, we are proud to present our “J100” list — 100 individuals who have positively influenced Jewish life over the past year.