Rabbi's Week in Review Blog

Event of the week: So, the Chiefs lost, a team and a city bereft of hope.  

Yet, as I write this the day after the game, I observe something remarkable. Life goes on! To the credit of our loyal/rabid fanbase, no one really seems too upset. With hope in our hearts, we eagerly look forward to next season, or at least the hope that comes with Kansas City Royals' spring training. As for the Royals, I remember the end of the 2014...Read more...

In a week of chaos nationally and internationally, I have had congregants (and others outside of Congregation Kol Ami) reach out to me, fearful of what the future holds. There are two groups of people prominent amongst those who hold this place of fear. One is our queer/LGBTQ+ congregants, particularly trans congregants. The other group is the immigrant community with whom we are connected in our work with the Migrant Farmworkers Assistance...Read more...

I officiated at a wedding this past week in Boca Raton, Florida, a place known for the snowbirds it attracts, many from the Jewish community in the New York tri-state area. It would not have been my first choice, a place that has been referred to as “G-d’s waiting room.” While technically I could be considered to have reached retirement age, I still feel like my job as rabbi is relatively new, and I look forward to many years ahead of...Read more...

My mother’s yahrzeit z”l occurred this past week. Actually, this is the 18th year of her yahrzeit — 18, of course, referencing the Hebrew word "chai," or "life." I believe we do give life to those loved ones who have died by how we honor memory. For my mother, it was the memory of her kindness; her quiet generosity, in which she always put others ahead of her own needs; and a somewhat hidden yet undeniable emotional...Read more...

While waiting for a program to start, in which I was giving a D’var Torah, I had a conversation with someone whom I had the honor/pleasure of working with years ago in the Jewish community, someone I still admire. The conversation was centered on fighting antisemitism, and what the best approach is to successfully carry on that fight.

In this week’s blog, I am not elaborating on that fight. Rather, I want to relate how refreshing...Read more...