February 10, 2023   There are two disparate things on my mind this week that, together, are taking up a great deal of space in my consciousness. The first is the unspeakable tragedy unfolding in southern Turkey and Syria in the aftermath of the earthquake earlier this week. Under any … READ MORE

February 3, 2023   As most of us aware, EMJC will be celebrating its centennial next year. The synagogue was founded in 1924, and, as Toby Sanchez writes on the website, “the cornerstone of the building was laid on June 13, 1926.” By fall of that year, High Holy Day … READ MORE

January 13, 2023 Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of my trip-to-Israel-that-wasn’t was the missed opportunity to search for, and perhaps catch glimpses of signs for optimism. When I traveled to Israel a few years ago as part of the 5th Qushiyot cohort (which I wrote and spoke about at the time), … READ MORE

December 30, 2022 In a funny coincidence, a couple of weeks ago, two articles came through my email within a 24-hour period. The first, from the Forward newspaper, had the title “Do ‘bad Jews’ really exist? A new book says no.” The article, about a recently published book called ‘Bad … READ MORE

December 2, 2022   As most of you know, I was unable to go on my long-anticipated trip to Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Dubai a few weeks ago because of a bout with Covid. It was a great disappointment, of course. I’m hoping there will be another opportunity next … READ MORE

November 4, 2022   What a busy time we’ve come through!   As a community, as a synagogue, we’ve emerged from a meaningful and rewarding High Holy Day season, a little exhausted perhaps, but enriched and renewed. With barely time to catch our breaths, we (the synagogue) turned around and … READ MORE

September 23, 2022 Friends, As we make our final preparations for Rosh Hashanah, which begins Sunday night, I wanted to share some information about the service this year so you will know what to expect. But first, four important reminders: Your voices add greatly to the service. It is not … READ MORE

9.16.2022 Department of Corrections: If you read my piece last week about the Catholic priest who had to resign his position because of a (seemingly minor) liturgical error, you would have read an uninformed assessment of the theological implications of said error. As I noted in the piece, “I am … READ MORE

September 9, 2022   I’d like to begin by reminding everyone of our first Elul program which will take place this Sunday at noon. We’ll explore some of the themes of the High Holy Days through the music of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and others as we prepare for these … READ MORE

September 2, 2022 Explained   Elizabeth Ann Said to her Nan: “Please will you tell me how God began? Somebody must have made God. So Who could it be, ’cos I want to know?” And nurse said, “Well!” And Ann said, “Well? I know you know, and I wish you’d … READ MORE