Halloween is the second biggest holiday in America according to KCBS News. Did you know that? I sure didn’t. Yes, I’ve noticed that Halloween has become dramatically more marketable than it was when I was a kid, or even when my own kids were little. Costumes are no longer homemade – with the hobo costume,…
Read More »A meaningful life
Selichot – a peaceful opening to the High Holidays
As we move closer to the High Holidays in the shadow of 9/11 it is a good time to think about Selichot. To quote Rabbi Mark Bloom of Temple Beth Abraham in Oakland, “Selichot, the penitential service which occurs on the Saturday night before Rosh Hashana.” Selichot is a time to reflection on who we…
Read More »Talking About Israel with Honestly, Pain & Caring
On August 13th and August 23rd, Josh Kornbluth and Rabbi Menachem Creditor engaged in a public conversation about Israel, Zionism, Judaism, Peace, and American Jewish activism. Overwhelmed by Argument with Josh Kornbluth and Rabbi Menachem Creditor The description of and rules for the conversation are below. It was an intense conversation between two loving friends…
Read More »Teens found, dead
Perhaps you have been following the kidnapping of 3 boys in Israel. One was age 19 and the other two were only 16. There was steely hope that some terrorist group would claim responsibility and demand money or the release of some of their jailed compatriots. But unfortunately it was not to be and their…
Read More »Looking for a Synagogue?
Judaism is an ancient tradition with its roots in an agricultural society. That means that for the first thousands of years summertime found the Jews out tending the flocks and the crops. Not surprisingly then, summer lacks the plethora of holidays that we get the rest of the year. What to do in the summer?…
Read More »What’s all that about the Jews being “chosen”?
(A bee doing her job.) The concept of ‘chosen-ness’ really messes with some people’s minds. Let’s clear it up so we can be productive. I read a drash/teaching by a friend for the parshah Kedoshim (teaching on a section of the Jewish bible). He said: The Parshah of Kedoshim begins with the statement, ’You…
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