Watch my Shabbat Video Message: When You Feel Outside the Community
Category: blog archive
Facing Alzheimer’s as a Caregiver
Alzheimer's and dementia attacks the foundational values of who we are as Jews and Jewish families. We Jews consider ourselves the people of yikzor (remembrance): as long as we remember where we came from, we will have a sense of who we are and where we are going. So what happens when we can no longer remember any of that?
An Encounter with Palestinians: What We Are Supposed to Hear
At a meeting with Palestinians near Bethlehem. We gathered to encounter the truth. That we are all one.
Reform Rabbis Worldwide Renew and Recommit to a Jewish Democratic Pluralistic Israel
I joined over 300 Reform Rabbis - North American, Israeli, European, Australian, Russian and from elsewhere - in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv for our CCAR Israel convention.
#wewontletterroristswin No Terrorist Can Sully my Beloved Jaffa
#wewontletterroristswin 24 hours earlier, I walked the Israeli port city of Jaffa, meandering through its streets, which the next day momentarily became a terrorist's killing field. I became enamored with its uniqueness.
Sacred Graffiti: If I forget thee O’ Jerusalem, it’s because of Tel Aviv
Sacred Graffiti: Walking around the Florentine neighborhood of Tel Aviv, I am struck by the abundance of graffiti which reminds us of the spirituality throughout Israel
Taking Teens to Washington for L’taken
Guest Blogger Rabbi Julia Weisz reflects on taking 8 teens to Washington DC for the L'taken Social Justice Program, transforming their lives and intensifying Congregation Or Ami's teen program.
Hebron, a City of Conflicting Narratives and Religious Passions
Visiting Hebron, a City of Conflicting Narratives and Religious Passions, was exciting, inspiring and troubling.
An Epiphany of Empowerment: Community Justice Shabbat
Our heartstrings resonated with story after story of those touched by mental illness, Alzheimer’s, homelessness, domestic violence, drugs, peer pressure, suicide, and the fear caused by terrorism. We discovered that alone we feel overwhelmed and powerless, but together we can become a source for change toward justice.
Reflections on the Death of a Child
How does a parent survive the death of a child? Charlotte Klein, an 81-year-old wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, reflects and offers wisdom.
Celebrating Inclusion at Congregation Or Ami
Rabbi Paul Kipnes discusses the centrality of inclusion at Congregation Or Ami in Calabasas, CA
Torah Brings Comfort to a 91-Year-Old Widow
91-year-old Deanna came to visit me to find some comfort after her beloved husband Alvin died. Turns out, she spent more time teaching me Torat Chayim (the Torah of Life).
“I had the Best Day at Religious School” by Cantor Doug Cotler
Cantor Doug Cotler kvells: "I just had the best day at Religious School!"
The Ordinary Miracle of the Extraordinary: Spiritual Wisdom
We must live in the world of the ordinary. But if we then open our eyes and look — really look — we can glimpse the extraordinary.
Book Goes International: Jewish Spiritual Parenting
We are international! Our book, Jewish Spiritual Parenting, has its first overseas book group. The "Apples & Honey Parenting Group at Wimbledon Synagogue" in England is comprised of parents whose children attend Apples & Honey, their nursery school.