What happens when months, even years of working and waiting for change happens all at once? From where I sit as the newly elected president of this shul, that is exactly the situation in which we find ourselves. Most of us resist change, but when it is necessary and we face it head on, it can be challenging, exciting, and a little scary — but exhilarating at the same time. As of July 1 [...]
I have been counting down the months, now the days to July 1 — the day a new president takes the reins of leadership at our shul. Little did I know last August, when I had the idea to organize the shul’s library, a small independent volunteer job with little commitment, that I would end up here as your newly elected president. When I asked how I would coordinate entry to the synagogue building to [...]
It's graduation season. The New York Times, my daily addiction, has been quoting snippets from memorable graduation speeches that have been delivered this year to students eager to get on — to different schools and colleges, or the world, putting to the test what they have learned in those years of early morning labs, term papers, internships, and final exams. The lofty statements and the photos of proud families send my thoughts back several decades [...]
Dear members and friends, Spring weather at last. The calendar kept telling me it was spring, so why was I feeling so chilled, still dragging out the corduroys and sweaters every morning? And then, I looked away, only for a moment, and Shazam! Spring. More than any other season of the year, spring holds promise — the promise of renewal, rebirth and the certainty that goodness will follow even the most difficult of times. [...]
Dear members and friends, I am not a rabbi. At times like this, I wish I had at hand the depth of a Rabbi’s holy insight and the eloquence of a Rabbi’s spiritual vocabulary. With those special gifts, the better to express the joy and gratitude I feel at this moment, thoughts bestowed upon me by a simple act — a keystroke on my computer. Those of you who attend Saturday morning services may [...]
As I write this message, incidents of antisemitism are rising worldwide — in schools, on academic campuses, in synagogues, malls, gathering places. Thousands of miles away, Israel is at war. My friend Judith and I talk every day about Israel and the vulnerabilities of the people and the country itself. She tells me about the sirens, how little children race through the streets to safety in bomb shelters. “Even at their age, they know what [...]
Dear members and friends, When I read Veronica Kaliski’s letter-to-the-editor reporting an initiative to provide free books to youngsters, I was reminded of an incident that had occurred while I was employed as an editor by SI Communications, publishers of a group of community newspapers. The catalyst for the incident was my friend Ruth. A lovely, intelligent woman with a pleasant sense of humor and an aura of style, Ruth played tennis, attended concerts and [...]
Recently, I received a number of phone calls and email messages wanting to know the status of our shul, given the challenges to our leadership and disruptions within the shul family. All inquiries that were presented with thoughtfulness and insight were considered carefully, others dismissed. As president, I brought congregant concerns to the Board of Directors and to the Ritual Committee. Following protracted discussions, a letter was prepared and emailed on December 11 to all [...]
Families and dear friends of those killed by violence, or in the throes of wartime, or in acts of terrorism feel the pain of those tragic deaths every day. We may sympathetically mouth terms like “closure,” but for most who mourn in those circumstances, there is no closure. Growing up, I can still remember the story of the couple who lived not far from our house — on a quiet, residential street in a small [...]
Every morning for the last 15 years or so, I log-on to “Religion News Service,” an online publication with reliable, well-researched and documented coverage of global religion news. I learn about faith as practiced around the world by Islamists, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Jews and indigenous and folk tribalists living in the far corners of this earth. Through the years, I have passed on to readers of The Shofar many of these stories about Jewish traditions [...]
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