Be a Mensch, that's what Or Ami's innovative parenting and pre-K to 6th grade learning program is all about. Mensch-ify my Kid, Mensch-ify my Home, Mensch-ify my Playground.
Mensch-ify My Kid: Giving Young Families What They Want
Creating an Escape for Teens After the SoCal Fires and Shooting
How might synagogues and Jewish communities respond to the needs of teens to express their inner turmoil and to learn new techniques for managing stress and emotional exhaustion?
So That’s What Rabbis Do: A Rabbinic Student Reflects on a Synagogue’s Fire Response
Rabbinic Student Elana Nemintoff reflects on the role of the rabbi during the immediate responses by Congregation Or Ami, Calabasas, to the Woolsey fire.
Hero or Imposter? As a Rabbi Struggles with Post-Fire Trauma
How does a Rabbi deal with the trauma of a fire and some shootings? Here's another peek into the journey.
Rabbi’s Disaster To Do List: 10 Community-Restoring Actions from the SoCal Fires
When the fires hit in southern california, we took 10 Community-Restoring Actions that helped our congregants, community and ourselves.
When the Rabbi Feels Trauma: Lessons from the SoCal Fires
Facing the trauma after the fires. If it can happen to the rabbi, it can happen to you too...
After the Fires: Celebrating Thanksgiving When Homes are Lost or Damaged
When circumstances out of our control - like fires or other disasters - affect our ability to hold our Thanksgiving rituals in our usual way, we can become distraught. When life intervenes – like fires destroying homes or forcing a loved one to be absent – what happens to the ritual? By Sally Weber MSW and Rabbi Paul Kipnes
Resources after a Shooting: For Solace, Support, Action and Talking to Kids
In the aftermath of the shooting in Thousand Oaks, Congregation Or Ami sent these resources - for solace, support, action and talking to kids - to all our congregants.
My Congregant Was in that Dance Bar Shooting
Spoken Word Poem: Our congregant kid was in that Country Western Dance Bar. He's Okay. I'm not. I've had enough.
Vote (and here’s why): Spoken Word Poetry
Where Was Sarah During the Akeidah (the Binding of Isaac)?
Midrashic Monologue: Where was Sarah in the Akeidah (Torah), when Abraham almost sacrificed their son Isaac? We think she saved Isaac's life and the Jewish future.
Sacrifice My Son Isaac? What Was I Thinking?
Midrashic Monologue: Did you ever wonder what Abraham thought about in the years following his “almost-sacrifice” of his son Isaac? Based on Parashat Vayeira and the Akeidah, we imagine Abraham’s inner struggles.
Naming Naamah, Noach’s Wife (and the Other Torah Women Too)
Noah's wife is mentioned 5 times in Torah, but her name - Na'amah - is not. Hear the voices of other silenced women of Torah.
Beautiful Blank Slate: That’s our Camp Newman
URJ Camp Newman in Santa Rosa is now a beautiful blank slate, awaiting our creativity, imagination and love.
We are Here for You: A Clergy Letter about Sexual Violence
The rabbis and cantor of Congregation Or Ami sent this letter about sexual violence to our adult congregants, our 9th-12th graders, recent high school graduates (18-22 year olds), and our faculty. We also sent a note to parents of 7th-12th graders with suggestions on conversations with their children.