I dovined this morning in Young Israel of Long Beach, New York and got into a conversation with a beautiful retirement-age Jew there who explained to me with great passion about his yearning for world peace. He wrote a poem about flight, space exploration, and missiles back in 1961 when the topic was hot.

Albert, my newfound friend-dreamer, expressed his pain that humanity won't just seize the opportunity of technological advance to make the world a better place to live in, but rather evil people take scientific breakthroughs only to further destruction in the world.

There was something very pure about hearing Albert's vision coming not from an anti-nuclear protester at a Greenpeace demonstration, but from an elderly Jew who is imbued with an almost-childish yearning for G-d to see his children doing only good.

I salute Albert's spiritual quest and share with you his inspiring poem: