Rabbi's Week in Review Blog

This past week, most of my thoughts have turned toward community (and state and national) leader — and my friend — the Rev. Dr. Rodney Williams. Last Friday, Fay and I, along with Lara Steinel, attended the funeral of his beloved wife, Lorianne Williams.

Lorianne died after a long battle against cancer. She was possessed of a fighting spirit, and of kindness and compassion, always caring for others. The Rev. Dr. Williams spoke of...Read more...

Coming back from time away, we and our Kol Ami family hit the ground running. Midweek, a rally on behalf of the rights of tenants in Kansas City (really an ongoing fight against homelessness). Friday, we held our annual Shabbat Hanukkah service. Saturday morning, we celebrated the bat mitzvah of Matylda Breinin.

A common thread I observed in these three events is how we are all thirsting for community. I often mention how rejuvenated...Read more...

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...Read more...

I am thinking about this coming Saturday’s 10th-anniversary celebration. I related to our wonderful president, Wynne Begun, that I am approaching this day feeling a bit sheepish and, at the same time, looking forward to a time to celebrate.

The sheepish part is that this is presented as a “me” thing — honoring my 10 years as Congregation Kol Ami’s rabbi. I do think this should be a “we” event and not a “me”...Read more...

This past week, Suzanne Gladney, the director of the Migrant Farmworkers Assistance Fund, informed me of the death of migrant farmworker Luis Octavio, age 49, due to cancer. (Suzanne is our featured Shabbat speaker on Friday, November 5.) With that in mind, I will keep my blog short this week.

Hearing about this loss and the difficulty for his family and for other migrant farmworkers with whom he worked is a vivid reminder that...Read more...