Rabbinic Search Committee Updates
A Stand Against Hate
Monday Evening, October 29, 2018: We Stand Against Hate In the face of hatred, we will forge understanding; In the face of violence, we will build peace; In the face of bigotry, we will breed tolerance; In the face of discrimination, we will seek justice; In the face of darkness, we will spread light. Channel…
Read MoreA Bike Ride in Israel – Journaling from Israel
DAY 1 I’m very fortunate this year to participate in the fourth annual Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) bike ride in Israel. With friends to visit and new things to see, it is always terrific to be back here. Over the course of a week we’re going to be riding well more than…
Read MoreWelcome to ShulCloud
Welcome to ShulCloud! Starting on July 1, 2018, Temple Beth Israel Office Staff began using a new data management system called “ShulCloud”. This new system gives our congregation the advantage of offering household accounts to each member household. With this account, you will be able to update your own demographic information, sign up for events,…
Read MoreThe Music of the High Holidays
Last Fall, I had the privilege of speaking at Presbyterian Homes in Evanston. My topic was Music of the High Holy Days. Jews and non-Jews gathered in the Chapel of Westminster Place, as I sang and spoke about traditional melodies for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The staff recorded my session, and graciously gifted me…
Read MoreA Moral Emergency
A Moral Emergency Immigrant toddlers and children are being separated from their parents and sent to detention centers in an effort to deter more migration. The Jewish Community is particularly sensitive to governmental policies which inflict physical, mental and emotional harm on immigrants or others seeking refuge in our country. We know the dangers of…
Read MoreYou were 9
Seth Kramer shared these words with his son on the day of Aaron’s Bar Mitzvah and has allowed me to share them with our congregation, as we all share our stories during this Centennial Year. For Aaron Kramer on his Bar Mitzvah – 4/14/18 You were 9. 9 years old when you told me you didn’t…
Read MoreReflections On A Memorable Day
12/18/17 “If you will it, it is no dream” Theodore Herzl Today was a special day in the 100 year history of Temple Beth Israel. Today our collective congregation and our collective community was able to deliver 460 holiday gifts plus hundreds of dollars in teacher supplies to Herzl School in Lawndale. If you will…
Read MoreIf I had a million dollars…
If I had a million dollars… This opening line from an early 1990’s Barenaked Ladies song is one with which many of us can identify. Here at TBI we have our own version of this fantasy. We have lots and lots of programmatic ideas that often have to be relegated to our “wish list” because…
Read MoreAmerican Peace Caravan
During the week of Oct. 23rd, I was honored to participate in the American Peace Caravan – a conference of Rabbis, Imams, and Christian Evangelical Pastors – that took place in Rabat, Morocco. It was held under the patronage of King Muhammed VI of Morocco and sponsored by the Forum for Promoting Peace…
Read MoreThe Optimistic Geniza
“The Geniza looks half full!” I overheard the shout from one of the hundred children as they walked by the Geniza that was dug to celebrate the Temple Beth Israel Centennial. Each child was given the chance to offer a book into the Geniza. Our entire community was welcome to contribute to the…
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