We all lose sleep worrying about things. For me, it’s about The health of my parents and inlawsMy kids’ latest challengesThe illness facing a beloved member of our community Fundamentally though I – like so many other American Jews – rest pretty easily because we know that as Americans, as Jews, and as human beings …
Get Naked
Cross posted on the Jewish Journal You step out of the shower, towel off and stand before the mirror. It’s just you and your reflection … the naked truth. Your eye appraises without mercy. Under the bright lights, no imperfection can be concealed; no blemish disguised. Or … It’s the morning after. Lights once dimmed …
What Does It Mean to be a Jew?
What does it mean to be a Jew? A curious verse in this week’s Torah portion Terumah provides insight. We read that the Israelites were to place cherubim before the sanctuary, a moveable tabernacle built by a wandering people in the wilderness. “The cherubim will stretch forth their wings on high…and their faces will look …
The Disability Inclusion Hero Awards
Cross posted on Jews & Special Needs blog of the Jewish Journal As the new calendar year begins, we are entertained by those Year in Review lists and Person of the Year awards, both inside and outside of the Jewish communities. Time magazine aptly chose the Pope Francis as its Person of the Year for his calling …
Supporting Jewish Values by Opposing Anti-Choice Legislation
I just wrote my Congressman to urge his opposition to anti-choice legislation. On the recommendation of the Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism, I stepped up and let my voice be heard. I hope you will also. The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (H.R. 7) is a dangerous and highly restrictive bill that severely …
Red Sea Splitting: You Cannot Go Back By Seth Front
When in your life has the sea split (metaphorically) allowing you to walk freely into your life? This is the question I posed to our community (at Congregation Or Ami and our Facebook friends), as I prepared for Shabbat Shira (the Sabbath of Song) which remembers the splitting of the Red Sea. So many responses …
Facebook Post becomes Serious Sermon
OR: How the Whole World Planned this Shabbat’s Service It all began two weeks ago with a simple question on Facebook: Need sermon input. This week we read about the splitting of the Red Sea. When have you experienced a time when the seas split (metaphorically) for you so you could walk forward more freely …
We Sent Our Kid to Camp Anyway… And He Loved It (by Marcy Cameron)
Ethan at center with Camp Friends Camp Newman Through a Mother’s Eyes: Before and After By Marcy Cameron Before Camp – June 6, 2013 He Didn’t Want to Go Our 7th grade son, Ethan, did not want to go to sleep-away camp, but after years of hearing Rabbi Paul Kipnes praise the value of URJ …
Camp Newman, My Holy Community by Amanda Front
Amanda Front (left) at Camp Newman with friend Jacqui Osborn Amanda Front, a teenager at Congregation Or Ami, joined her father Seth Front for a trip to Orange County, CA to promote URJ Camp Newman to kids at Temple Beth David in Westminster, the temple where Seth’s father Henri Front served as Rabbi. Amanda reflected upon her …
Make a New Year’s Wish: Healing the World
Make a New Year’s Wish. (I have a bet with a friend that I can get more suggestions than he will.) If we could do one thing to heal the world in this new year 2014, what would you suggest it would be? [Double-click anywhere on the page to start]. Created with Padlet Don’t see …
Just Say Yes: Inclusion is a No Brainer
Many tears were shed that day as Brandon signed his parasha (Torah portion). But on the most fundamental level, there was nothing that remarkable that a profoundly challenged - disabled? handicapped? exceptional? - child followed the Jewish path. Because inclusion is just what Judaism expects.
Diagnosis with Alzeheimer’s or Dementia: A Prayer
Alden Solovy, a gifted liturgist, wrote a new prayer to be said upon receiving a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or Dementia. As with all his prayers, it is heartfelt and beautifully written. His work is available on his To Bend Light, an overwhelming collection of poems for today. I share this prayer with you here, in …
I’m Not So Religious this Christmas
It is Erev Christmas (Christmas Eve), and I’m at home. No plans to go out to a movie. No desire to eat Chinese food. I’m feeling a little guilty but I’m not really feeling very religious this year. Does this make me a bad Jew? Many words have been written about why Jews eat Chinese …
Turning 50: My Community Honors Me
I turned 50 today. 5-0. The big half century. In honor of this simcha, my Congregation Or Ami (Calabasas, CA) sent out this letter to invite people to help celebrate my big birthday in a particularly meaningful way: December 2013 | Kislev 5774 Our beloved Rabbi Paul Kipnes turns the big 5-0 (yes, fifty) …
Ezra Network: Helping Our Own Community
We all need help sometimes – The Ezra Network is now here to help. “Ezra” means help in Hebrew. When it’s easy to get, that mean everything! If you’re facing economic problems or living with the challenge of helping an aging parent or a teen in trouble, you’re not alone. Now, here at our synagogue, …