"There used to be a joke in Paris. What is the difference between the Chief Rabbi in France and the Cardinal of Paris? The Cardinal speaks Yiddish!" Jean Marie Cardinal Lustiger was buried yesterday. He died this week of cancer. He was born almost 81 years ago to Polish parents who ran a dress shop in Paris. When the German army marched into their city, his parents sent him and his sister into hiding with a Catholic family in Orleans.

Times like the holidays always make me really appreciate Aung San Suu Kyi. She is such an amazing person, so strong, and brave. As it is said in the U2 song, Walk On, written about Aung San Kyi, "You're packing your suitcase for a place none of us has been. A place that has to be believed to be seen." She has been fighting for decades for freedom, justice and peace, under the ever watchful eye of the military government.

For those in the greater NYC area (and beyond), there is a fantastic opportunity to help those who don't have as much this holiday season.  The Holiday Stockings project, led by VolunteerMatch, is a program designed to help seniors, the homeless and the disabled by creating a personalized stocking filled with gifts for individuals with developmental disabilities, mental illness, homebound seniors or families living with HIV/AIDS, so that they may have a holiday filled with joy. The project hopes to provide over 600 stockings this year to those in need.