Crying Out Loud
A year ago exactly, we were preparing for our Human Trafficking Awareness Shabbat. The theme resonated so much–as it still does today–with the biblical narrative: Jewish bondage in Egypt. We never expected that a real life sex trafficking case would happen practically on our doorstep. It happened two blocks south of our synagogue, in the...
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Heart of a Stranger: The Jewish Historical Memory of Torture
You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt. -Ex. 23:9 You were strangers in the land of Egypt reminds us that we have experienced the great suffering that one in a foreign land feels. By remembering the pain which we...
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An Open Letter From 750 North American Rabbis and Cantors Responding to the Crisis in Israel and Gaza
The safety of Palestinians and Israelis is inextricably linked. By signing this letter, we publicly recommit to the long, hard work of bringing about a better future for everyone in the region.
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(Clergy only) Trip to the South Hebron Hills (7/3)
During our trip, we will have the chance to meet with local Palestinian residents, study rabbinic texts, and talk about how we can best activate our rabbinic voices.
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What’s “Anger” Got to Do With It?
When anger is a mode of life or when expressed in an unjustified manner, it is prohibited by Judaism. But if a person is wronged, they are allowed to express their natural feelings, including anger.
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Parashat Bamidbar: The Imperative to Provide Refuge
My father’s family were refugees from Vienna, who fled just before World War II broke out, but not before my grandfather had been deported to Dachau. He remained incarcerated there from November 13, 1938, until January 19, 1939. He knew he had to leave Austria with his family. But leaving wasn’t easy. First, it meant...
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Getting to Know You
True relationships, born out of love and respect, take time to develop. These relationships require intimacy and occasionally discomfort in order to truly know each other.
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Counting everyone, including the stranger, for the 2020 Census
A d’var Torah for Parshat Naso. “The Eternal one spoke to Moses: Take a census.” This week’s Torah portion, Naso, focuses on one of the multiple censuses that was carried out, the census of the Levites in the desert. This year in the U.S. is our year to carry out the census — to be...
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