June 25, 2021 Many in our country are deeply concerned about the “post-truth” age that we are living in. In an era of Q-Anon conspiracy theories that have gained astonishingly wide traction, of broadly disseminated election-fraud frauds, and a general rejection of demonstrable fact, certain fundamental values are being tested … READ MORE

June 18, 2021 There is a palpable change in the air. These last couple of weeks, many of us have been shedding our masks, letting our hair down, relaxing – at least a little bit! – into summer. The pandemic is not over, and there are reasons to be concerned … READ MORE

June 11, 2021 Parashat Korach, the Torah portion that we read tomorrow morning, challenges us to think about leadership. Moses and Aaron are the leaders of the Israelites, appointed by God, but their cousin Korach and his band question their leadership: “You have gone too far! For all the community are holy, … READ MORE

May 21, 2021 10 Sivan 5781 Rabbi Manei of Sh’av and Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: Great is peace, for all blessings and goodness and mercies (i.e. prayers) that the Holy Blessed One gives to Israel are sealed with peace. The reading of the … READ MORE

May 14, 2021 There has been so much cause for grief and sadness lately. It feels a bit like the world is convulsing, like we’re living through Tolkein, a shadow growing longer and darker. Maybe it’s the ongoing trauma of COVID-19; maybe it’s the bulging of hatred and division around … READ MORE

May 7, 2021 In this edition: -Devonte Lewis -Erev Shavu’ot IN-PERSON Gathering!!! -Upcoming programs and classes -Acosta-Molina Family Update   Devonte Lewis As we all continue to process the events of last week, more details about the killing of Urban Dove student Devonte Lewis have emerged. The one detail that … READ MORE

Dear friends,   You have likely heard the troubling news of yesterday’s fatal shooting outside the Urban Dove Charter School. Details of this tragic incident are still emerging. My heart breaks for Devonte Lewis’ family. Another young life lost to gun violence. This has become an all-too-familiar phenomenon in the … READ MORE

April 23, 2021 In this message: Earth Day wrap-up Acosta Molina family – how we can help!    -donations of money (EMJC fund established)    -teachers/tutors for the girls General wrap-up Special Shabbat video! Yesterday was the 51st annual Earth Day celebration. Earth Day was established in 1970 and since that time … READ MORE

Last night, we concluded our four-class series on Jewish memory, We Are What We Remember. (The curriculum was written by the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning, a project of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem). Over the course of a month, we explored different facets of (as the literature from Melton … READ MORE

I have a few loose items that I’d like to cover this week – a little mid-Passover house-keeping, if you will. So here’s the 1-2-3-4-5-6:   Pandemic Update In a moving and emotional appeal to the country earlier this week, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control … READ MORE