In so many synagogues around the country, people know how to kvetch complain) more than they know how to kvell (offer praise). At Or Ami, we have learned that if we invite people to share their Or Ami moments – experiences worth kvelling about – we discover quickly that we are touching people’s lives in …
America vs. The Narrative America vs. The Narrative By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN (New York Times, 11/30/09) What should we make of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who apparently killed 13 innocent people at Fort Hood?Here’s my take: Major Hasan may have been mentally unbalanced — I assume anyone who shoots up innocent people is. But the …
So what are we Jews? A religion or faith group (like Protestants or Catholics)? An ethnic group with our bagels and lox? A people?Ask many non-involved Jews and they will most likely answer: a religion. But we have only consider ourselves a religious group since Napoleon offered Jews emancipation from the ghetto if we became …
From a friend of a friend of a friend: I am thankful: For the wifeWho says its hot dogs tonight,Because she is home with me,And not out with someone else. For the husbandWho is on the sofaBeing a couch potato,Because he is home with meAnd not out at the bars. For the teenagerWho is complaining …
I had a great conversation with a Daily News journalist. He turned out an interesting article on Thanksgiving table talk. A battered economy, political divisions and an erosion of common courtesy could make family feasts tough to swallow this Thanksgiving, By Kevin Modesti, Staff Writer All over the United States today, families and friends will …
“Kosher Face” is Aley Sheer’s edgy send-up of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face”… a tribute to the members of the tribe of Abraham… a tongue-in-cheek exploration of the Jewish experience, populated by a host of Jewish celebrities of today… and the past. Sheer, by the way, is the youth director of a prominent synagogue. Check out …
Recently, 31 Or Ami adults gathered for our monthly New Dimensions Shmooze ‘n Study at a congregant’s home. Over hors dourves and drinks, we chatted, connected and then sat down for some learning. Our discussion about community quickly turned to the community building power of Tikkun Olam (fixing the world or social justice work), which …
Including Rabbi Sharon Brous, Rabbi Laura Geller, Rabbi Lisa Edwards, Rabbi Naomi Levy, Rabbi Lynn Brody, Rabbi Denise Eger and Women of the Wall’s Anat Hoffman.
Not too long ago, I posted about Rudeness All Around: Loud Public Cellphone Talking, Texting During Services as a way of opening up a conversation about texting, cell phoning and other activities that fragment the common decency upon which civil society depends. It led me to a conversation about Lashon Harah, gossip, as a nefarious …
My colleague, Rabbi Rick Winer, over at Divrei Derech, brings to our attention one of the sadder moments in the clash between orthodoxy and modernity: the arresting of a woman for wearing a tallit. As I wrote in a comment on his blog, Among the most important contributions of the Reform Movement to Judaism, was/is …
My Colleague, Rabbi Eric Berk, another Bruce Springsteen fan, finds connection – in two steps – from the great Chassidic teacher Nachman of Bratslav to the greatest singer of our day. Check it out! Rabbi Eric M. Berk: Blog: "Never…!"
By MELISSA NANN BURKE (Daily Record/Sunday News) Thanksgiving can be a time to meditate on all that you are grateful for. Instead of reciting the same, rote family prayer at the dinner table this year, we asked clergy to share some advice on writing your own: Some people can pray aloud in front of a …
This morning, I signed onto a letter with a broad array of clergy from different religious faiths to support the Employee Non-Discrimination Act to ensure fair treatment of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Americans in the workplace. Supported by our Union for Reform Judaism and our Washington-based Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism (Read …
There is a thread on our Rabbinic listserve addressing the increasingly challenging problem of how to deal with noisy teenage guests at Bar/Bat Mitzvah services. It has morphed into questions about how to deal with the incessant texting that these kids now engage in during the service. (Interesting question is whether having them text – …
It all started with Consecration. In celebration of the beginning of their formal Jewish education, these cute kindergartners ascend to the bimah to stand before the aron kodesh (holy ark) to receive a mini-Torah from the hands of their parents. Nervousness surrounds us as children wonder where to stand, as parents step forward unsure of …