Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi

[caption id="attachment_22661" align="alignright" width="100"] Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel[/caption]

Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel is spiritual leader of Temple Beth Shalom in Chula Vista, California.

His books, available on Amazon, include:

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*A Shepherd’s Song
*Gentle Judaic Wisdom for a Troubled World
*Maimonides Hidden Torah Commentaries: Genesis 1-21
*Maimonides Hidden Torah Commentaries: Genesis: 22-50
*Rediscovering Philo of Alexandria: A First Century Torah Commentator (Vol 1): Genesis
*Rediscovering Philo of Alexandria: A First Century Torah Commentator (Vol 2): Exodus
*Rediscovering Philo of Alexandria: A First Century Torah Commentator (Vol 3) Leviticus
*Rediscovering Philo of Alexandria: A First Century Torah Commentator(Vol 4) Numbers
*Rediscovering Philo of Alexandria: A First Century Torah Commentator (Vol 5) Deuteronomy

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Global Pushback Against Radical Islamists

A notable shift has emerged among progressive, reformist, and moderate Muslim leaders worldwide. From 2023 onward, these voices have more openly condemned political Islam (or Islamism)—the ideology seeking coercive theocratic governance, supremacism, and authoritarian control—while distinguishing it from Islam as a personal faith. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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International, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Book Traces History and Humor of Jews and Christmas

Many Jewish fathers and mothers take their children to sit on Santa Claus’s lap—just like the author Rabbi Joshua Eli Plaut did, when he was only seven years old. I laughed at the picture because I remember my father, Leo Israel Samuel—a Holocaust survivor from Auschwitz—did the same for me when I was about the same age [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

OpEd: The Blood on Canberra’s Hands: Why Australia Must Be Held Accountable for the Bondi Massacre

And yet, as the world watches in horror, one question burns brighter than any menorah: How could this happen in a nation that prides itself on solidarity, fairness, and freedom? The answer is devastatingly clear—the Australian government, under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, bears direct responsibility. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

OpEd: The Blood on Canberra’s Hands: Why Australia Must Be Held Accountable for the Bondi Massacre Read More »

International, Israel, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Seven Stations on a Path to Jewish Wisdom

Rabbi Shira Milgrom has served as spiritual leader of Congregation Kol Ami in White Plains, New York, for 37 years and edited the widely used Reform prayerbook Mishkan T’filah. She is also the daughter of Jacob Milgrom, the towering 20th-century biblical scholar and author of the monumental Anchor Bible commentary on Leviticus—a man I was privileged to know personally and whose rigorous, humane scholarship continues to shape Jewish thought. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Staff and Bylined Contributors

OpEd: The Church Needs to Fight Antisemitism

Despite decades of dialogue aimed at better Christian-Jewish relations, the surge in antisemitism has exposed how shallow much of that progress was. Too many Christians remain indifferent, and some even fuel the fire. It is grotesque that certain ministers still blame Jews for COVID-19 or repeat ancient blood libels in modern dress. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Antisemitism, Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

World Travel for a Woman with Disabilities and Her Partner

The book’s premise is inherently compelling: a couple, undeterred by age or physical limitations, embarks on journeys spanning the Arctic Ocean to tropical islands, deserts to urban centers, via planes, trains, cars, buses, and even a cruise in San Diego’s waters. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Six Key Elements of Judaism Presented in Book by Rabbi Mark Wildes

The book’s core thesis is that by delving into fundamental Jewish concepts—God, Torah, Prayer, Kindness and Charity, Shabbat, and Tikkun Olam—we can transform our lives in profound ways. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Holocaust, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Revisiting Orthodox Scholars’ Views of the Holocaust Three Decades Later

Gathering luminaries of Orthodox thought—Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Rabbi Norman Lamm, Rabbi Eliezer Berkovits, Rabbi Emanuel Rackman, Rabbi Reuven P. Bulka, and others—the volume confronts the Shoah’s theological and halakhic rupture without claiming resolution. Its 363 pages, organized thematically around theodicy, extreme halakhic decision-making, survivor memory, and Jewish continuity, model sustained rabbinic dialogue rather than dogmatic closure. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Bernhard H. Rosenberg-Rabbi, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Holocaust, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Aha Moment for Rosh Hashanah 2025

This moment has been our shofar blast, sounding before Rosh Hashanah itself. For many American Jews, raised in the comfort of the “goldene medina,” antisemitism felt like a relic—something for history books or distant shores. But October 7 shattered that illusion. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Antisemitism, Israel, Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Opinion, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, Staff and Bylined Contributors

‘The Shabbat Effect’: A Weekly Reset to Restore the Soul

As a Rhodes Scholar, anthropologist, filmmaker, and founder of The Mussar Institute—author of acclaimed works like Everyday Holiness and Climbing Jacob’s Ladder—Morinis presents Shabbat not as a burdensome ritual but as a vital, rejuvenating pause amid modern life’s chaos. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Staff and Bylined Contributors

‘The Boomer Archaeologist’ is UCSD Prof. Thomas Levy’s Very Readable Personal Memoir and Scientific Findings

Illustrated by Lily Almeida, this paperback chronicles Levy’s remarkable five-decade career as a Levantine archaeologist, weaving a rich narrative that blends autobiography with groundbreaking discoveries in the ancient Near East. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

‘The Boomer Archaeologist’ is UCSD Prof. Thomas Levy’s Very Readable Personal Memoir and Scientific Findings Read More »

Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Technology, Travel and Food, USA

Prayer as a Catalyst: Responding to the Annunciation Tragedy

The tragic shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, where 23-year-old Robin Westman allegedly killed two children and injured 17 others during a Mass, has sparked intense debate about the role of prayer in responding to such tragedies. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA