Keeping Connected    December 2019

Dear Friends,

The Jewish world is like a family in which there has been and will always be vigorous debate about issues, beliefs, practices and more. This has been the case since Judaism emerged as a civilization. Seeking to understand and engage with this debate gets at the core of what being Jewish means. There have been so many, many debates through time:More

KEEPING CONNECTED NOVEMBER 2019

Dear Friends,

One of my favorite lines from The Sound of Music is when Maria says, “When the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window…” Although I do not necessarily believe the theology of this statement, I have often found that the sentiment rings true. Such a case occurred last April. The More

Keeping Connected   October 2019

Dear Friends,

Despite the cultural differences that exist among people, there are many things that are shared by all of humanity. One of these traits is the existential desire to understand the “Big Questions” of life: How did the universe come to be? How was humanity created? How did life begin? Why is there death? Why is there evil in the world? Although our conclusions may be different, and although our More

Keeping Connected  September 2019

Dear Friends,

I am a person who is very attuned to the seasons and right now, on this last day of August, I am keenly aware that autumn is edging closer. Although our garden still has many tomatoes, the sunflowers are finally blooming and the grass STILL needs to be cut, the evenings have a chill that says change is coming. Birds are stopping at our feeders more often trying to fatten up before their More

Keeping Connected  August 2019

Dear Friends,

When I was first studying to be a rabbi in the 80’s, the then president of the Reform Movement, Alexander Schindler, made a priority of creating a program of OUTREACH to those members of congregations and the general community at large, that were interested in learning more about Judaism, potentially converting as well as supporting interfaith families in our congregations. In More

Keeping Connected  July 2019

Dear Friends,

In the span of a year, there are many days that take on greater significance than their neighbors; some for Jewish reasons and some for secular. Jewishly, the days of Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur and Passover, stand out from all the rest in the calendar as being important to the rhythms of Jewish life. For me personally, the awareness of their meaning and the practice of these holidays’ rituals adds a spiritual dimension to my life.  More