Cadet Eric Moraly (center) standing in full uniform I love it when our Congregation Or Ami young people take pride in and share their commitment to being Jewish. See the young man in uniform standing in the center of the group of cadets? That is Eric Moraly, a member of Congregation Or Ami, who attends Army & …
The URJ is offering unprecedented access to its KESHER Birthright Israel trip for summer 2014. Never before has it been easier to sign up for or participate in a URJ Kesher Birthright Israel trip. I had the pleasure of explaining the possibilities at the URJ Biennial convention. Learn more about the process below: Now …
It’s not often that a rabbi gets to sit back off the bimah and lean into inspiring prayer. The constant responsibility for creating T’filah for others, partnering with a cantor and other shlichei tzibur (prayer leaders), draws our attention everywhere but our own spiritual selves. And then there are moments like this morning’s shacharit service …
I am freezing. Either global warming has finally transformed Southern California or winter has arrived. No matter the reason, just know that it is darned cold here. No, we are not talking about Midwest cold, which today is hovering around 16 degrees. Nor are we talking about Eastern seaboard cold, which can mix below freezing …
Joseph, the once-favored child of Jacob, rises up from slave and prisoner to become Pharaoh’s right hand. He assumes responsibility for a far-reaching 14-year business plan to ensure that after seven years of plenty, Egypt would be prepared to endure the seven years of famine. Once an egocentric young man who drew the enmity of …
(Adapted and expanded from works of Rabbi H. Rafael Goldstein) Rabbi H. Rafael Goldstein writes: “We do not often think of Thanksgiving as a Jewish holiday – it is an American holiday which we, as Americans observe. Thanksgiving in America was started by Christian pilgrims, and infused by many Christian values. In the media, we …
We each have moments when we step back and take stock. Opportunities afforded to us because the year has turned one full cycle and we, clay to touched by holiness, are allowed a glimpse into the essence of our lives. A significant birthday. An anniversary. A Yahrzeit. 2 years of sobriety. 25 years since ordination. …
I just began meditating again, this time with Oprah and Deepak Chopra. They personally invited me to join them for a 21-day meditation experience and I just couldn’t refuse. So daily I have been meditating again, guided by Oprah and Deepak. The meditation comes at an opportune time. The adventure in daily silence meshes smoothly …
I grew up believing that when people start hearing voices, it’s the sign that they are beginning to go crazy. How much the more so when the person is hearing “religious” voices. Such occurrences often I thought were followed up with medication, hospitalization, or – in a few special cases – a move to Jerusalem …
I am getting tired of this conversation: Jewish Person: But rabbi, I don’t believe in God. Rabbi: That’s okay, but what kind of God don’t you believe in? So many God conversations seem to include this refrain. It’s time to change the conversation. I yearn to hear this conversation: Rabbi: So what do you believe …
Soon after I finished reading the Pew Research’s Religion and Public Life Project study – a Portrait of Jewish Americans – the first thing I did was to ensure that I was registered for the Union for Reform Judaism’s Biennial Convention in San Diego on Wednesday to Sunday, December 11-15, 2013. Getting together with 5,000+ …
The Pew Research Center’s Portrait of Jewish Americans, its survey and analysis of American Jewish attitudes and beliefs, has emerged as THE topic of conversation in the Jewish world. Some celebrate the survey; some wring their hands over what it says about us Jewish Americans. The Union for Reform Judaism released a preliminary analysis for …
Dr. Godfrey Godwin, a Tanzanian doctor, spoke at Congregation Or Ami in Calabasas this past Friday. Dr. Godwin has been training in Israel for the past 5 years at Save a Child’s Heart (SACH) in Holon, Israel. The only pediatric cardiac surgeon in Tanzania, he is now returning to Tanzania to establish his own heart …
The Genesis of a Social Sermon Utilizing a process called the Social Sermon, I developed my Yom Kippur morning sermon this year in partnership with Facebook Friends, TED talkers and a group of insightful congregants. To be blunt, this year, the whole Congregation Or Ami wrote its rabbi’s Yom Kippur sermon. Where Great Sermon Ideas …
Hedi Gross Congregation Or Ami Presidential Speech on Yom Kippur 2013/5774 A Spiritual Journey Hedi Gross and family I believe in G-d; I think I always did. I have vivid memories of being a little girl and talking to G-d, feeling that he was always with me, around me, a part of my life… I …