Join Rabbi Marc IsraelWednesdays, January 18 & 25February 8, 15, 228:00 pm, on Zoom, following minyan While many prayers in our siddur date back to the time of the Mishnah (200 CE), there have been subtle – and not so subtle – changes to the precise wording over the years. During these sessions, we will Continue Reading »
After this week’s Kiddush luncheon, Cliff Fishman will lead a study session about this week’s Torah reading, the first two chapters of Parashat Sh’mot (i.e., chapters 1-2 of Exodus). We’ll begin with a brief discussion: “Did any of this really happen, or is it all a myth – and does it matter?” Then we will Continue Reading »
This week we began a new series in the Conservative movement’s Scholar Stream Program! This four-week series takes place on Wednesday nights at 8:30 pm. The next session, on December 7th, will focus on “Understanding God and Ourselves through the Stories of Our Tradition (Neil Gillman),” and will be presented by Rabbi Elliot Dorff. To Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, Today we enter into month of MarCheshvan, the only month in the Hebrew calendar which has no special characteristics. This is a great time to carry the spirit of the fall holidays into the year and begin a new course of Jewish learning. There are many opportunities for you to study Jewish text Continue Reading »
Thanks go out to Betsy Miller, the Adult Education committee, and Rabbi Howard Gorin for making this past Scholar Shabbat – “Blue Scroll or Red Scroll: Is Torah Liberal or Conservative?” led by Louis E. Newman. Professor Newman presented a thought-provoking D’var Torah during services, and then led a stimulating text-based discussion after a lovely Continue Reading »
We are just about in the middle of the 50-day count between Pesach and Shavuot. According to Judaism 101, The counting reminds us of the important connection between Passover and Shavu’ot: Passover freed us physically from bondage, but the giving of the Torah on Shavu’ot redeemed us spiritually from our bondage to idolatry and immorality. Continue Reading »
Many Jews in the diaspora are concerned about their children and grandchildren sustaining Jewish identity. A while back a published study indicated that two major variables associated with maintaining Jewish identity were attendance at Jewish summer camp and visiting Israel. Although I’ve consistently belonged to a Jewish religious congregation throughout adulthood I hold the belief Continue Reading »
Under the guidance of our dear friend, Kate Jennes-Kahn, 8 of us embarked on a journey of reading, sharing, and inquiring into the basics of the Jewish tradition, and how those traditions reflect in our lives as women who come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. We each have varying levels of prior knowledge Continue Reading »
We had the good fortune to learn this past Shabbat with a wonderful scholar, Rabbi David Golinkin, professor of Talmud at the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem. His theme was Jerusalem and Israel, and the conflicting perspectives that we all bring to the land and city that holds so many hopes and expectations. He began on Continue Reading »
I subscribe to COMPACT from the USCJ, but I often don’t read the mailings, because of time – however, this caught my eye. Of note, check out the asterix at the bottom as to when these words were originally aired!! We have occasionally argued about who we are as Conservative Jews, and what our mission Continue Reading »
