Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, Britain’s chief rabbi, was knighted by King Charles on July 11 at Windsor Castle. Rabbi Mirvis is a close friend of the monarch, who invited the rabbi and his wife to stay at his home during the coronation in May so they could be within walking distance to the event on Shabbat. Official Windsor Castle photo
Eighty-five years ago, Munich’s main synagogue was demolished on direct orders from Adolf Hitler — a harbinger of the destruction to come. But early in July, The New York Times said, during a project to refurbish old underwater infrastructure, a construction crew found pieces of the synagogue in a river five miles from where it once stood in Munich. The items construction workers found, including columns and a large piece of the synagogue’s Torah shrine, [...]
Shani Chamovitz, 22, flew in on a 10-hour flight from Israel, landing at Newark Airport at 3:30 a.m. on July 9 for the annual North American Jewish Choral Festival, held this year in Tarrytown, NY. She didn’t get much sleep but said the hassle was worth it. “It’s been life changing fort me,” said Chamovitz, who attended for the first time last year. “It was an amazing experience, singing with such a range of people [...]
Holding U.S. and Israeli flags, a crowd of largely Evangelical Christians prays during “Night to Honor Israel” event on July 17 in Arlington, VA. Jacquelyn Martin photo
A jury has found that the Pittsburgh synagogue mass shooter is eligible to face the death penalty. The 50-year-old gunman was found guilty on June 16 of all 63 charges against him for killing 11 worshippers and wounding 6 others at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in 2018. Twenty-two of those counts were capital offenses. In the next phase of the trial, the jury will hear from survivors and the victims’ families. Then the jury [...]
The Art, The Gathering, The Talk, The Reception, The Setting, The Weather “Breathtaking,” was the descriptive heard most often from the crowd of art supporters and well-wishers attending Judith K. Weiner’s studio tour on Sunday afternoon, July 23. The shul’s Judaism and Art group had initiated the idea of artists’ studio tours as learning opportunities for members, but the event hosted by this artist was the first invitation to the entire congregation for an immersive [...]
The shul’s Book Circle group has chosen a novel based on historical events as its selection for the August meeting, to be held on Thursday, August 17, at 3:30 p.m., in the shul’s community room. In 1492, two history-altering events occurred: the Jews and Muslims of Spain were expelled, and Columbus set sail for the New World. In Gateway to the Moon, Mary Morris weaves these events into the larger American story. The Book [...]
Shul member Nancy Torchio started it all when she offered to sponsor an Oneg Shabbat to honor her father, Charles Bogen, on his first yahrzeit. The promise of socializing in the community room over coffee and cake and other goodies drew an eyepopping turnout to the sanctuary on Friday, May 26. Rabbi Gadi’s singing was particularly lyrical that evening, backed up with a chorus of singers in the sanctuary sounding more like a glee club [...]
As the professional marketers might say, “Hey folks, have we got a deal for you.” Well, our shul isn’t a professional marketing organization — not by a long shot — but hey folks, we really do have a good deal for new individuals and families joining our shul, from now until the end of the year. You’ll remember, of course, that at the June Congregation meeting, it was announced that the annual dues for an [...]
This year’s “School Supply Drive” for the children of CAST clients will begin on Friday, July 28, when CAST will deliver the big red bin to collect the donations that will get kids off to a good start in the school year. The shul’s Tikkun Olam Initiative is behind the effort in our shul with a call to our members to fill the bin to overflowing. Where’s the bin? Admittedly, it was a moving [...]
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