Rabbi's Week in Review
This past week challenged our perspective on whether our system of justice is truly just. I know there are varying views on the jury’s verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse case. Among these views is that the judge in the case put his thumb on the scale of justice inappropriately in favor of the defendant. Also, a recent poll came out in which, by a large majority, the U.S. Supreme Court was seen to be driven by politics, and not approaching cases ... Click here to read the rest of Rabbi Doug's blog post.
This Week's Torah Portion
In this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Vayeshev (Bereisht/Genesis 37:1-40:23), we read about Jacob’s son Judah and daughter-in-law Tamar. Judah has wronged Tamar. He acknowledges the injustice he has committed and works to right the wrong. This is one example of how Judah teaches us how we act after we have committed a wrong against someone else, and the courageous steps required to make it right.
Worship Events
This Friday, November 26, at 6:45 p.m., we get together via Zoom for Shabbat blessings. It is so nice to be able to connect as we enter Shabbat. A brief moment for Torah study is included. Click here for the Zoom link.
Please note: There will be no 8 a.m. weekday-morning service Wednesday-Friday this Thanksgiving week. The morning service will resume Monday, November 29.
Coming up: Family Experience and Shabbat Chanukah at All Souls on Friday, December 3, to include dreidel and menorah lighting (and, at the Oneg Shabbat, Dan Steinel's "legendary" latkes). More info to come.
Weekly Feature
Relishing (or Not) Susan Stamberg’s Cranberry Relish
By Ellen Karp
My sister insists on making it for Thanksgiving. I insist on disliking it. Apparently, we both have lots of company on our respective sides of the issue.
If you’ve read Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR, you know that Susan Stamberg started sharing her mother’s holiday tradition years ago, and it has appeared as “Mama Stamberg’s Cranberry Relish” ever since.
The recipe is based on a 1959 Craig Claiborne recipe that her mother got from the New York Times. Claiborne apparently commented to Susan that they had both gotten more mileage out of that single recipe than almost all their other work.
Echoes of shtetl cuisine (onions, sour cream) blend beautifully — or horribly (take your pick) — with that all-American bog fruit. For those of you who have not yet entered the fray, the recipe and commentary about it are found here.
Kol Ami Event
A Family Experience Chanukah
By Erica Clinton
Join us for Family Experience at All Souls at 6 p.m. Friday, December 3, to play dreidel and have fun prior to Kol Ami's Annual Chanukah celebration. All ages are invited and encouraged to attend.
That night, we are collecting children’s activity books for the Migrant Farmworkers Assistance Fund. Every year, a number of farmworker families remain in Missouri, with no activities for their children over winter break. At our Family Experience program, we are creating packets for the kids (all items for one child will be packed in a gallon-size Ziploc bag).
Items needed for varying ages — preschool through high school:
• counting books
• coloring books
• small packages of crayons or washable markers
• dot to dot or similar small activity book
• mad libs, word searches, crosswords, etc.
• stickers, small packets of blank paper for stickers and for drawing
• color pencils, gel pens, journal or notepad with prompts.
Items can be donated at the Chanukah celebration or by emailing me
for pick-up/drop-off alternatives at office@kolamikc.org.
Social Justice News
MLK School Coat and Clothing Drive — Todah Rabah
A big thank you to all those who donated coats, underwear and socks for schoolchildren at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School. More than 10 percent of the children at MLK School are homeless or displaced, with many more on the edge. Your generosity will make things a bit brighter for the children and their families. — Pat Clinton
