We are reeling from the events in Charlottesville. Across the Jewish community clergy and laypeople are moved to words and actions. Here are some from the Bay Area. Cantor Chabon, B’nai Tikvah, Walnut Creek The older I get, the more I understand that living a fulfilling life depends on how we respond to the joys…
Read More »Synagogues
Summertime! Where are all the Jews?
It’s JUNE! Summer brings big changes to Jewish institutions and synagogues. You’d think it were the year 100 and we were all farmers again. There are very few holidays in the summer, Hebrew school is closed, rabbis go on vacation, apparently Jews are tending their gardens and flocks. However, many synagogues take advantage of…
Read More »What is Worth Carrying Forward
This Shabbat Rabbi Rebecca Gutterman of B’nai Tikvah in Walnut Creek sent the following email to her congregation. You probably all know about the sequoia that fell in Calaveras Big Trees State Park. Rabbi Gutterman draws a connection to this week’s Torah portion, Vayechi. Reading it gave me the shivers. For those of us who…
Read More »Healing After the Election
The rabbis of Peninsula Temple Beth El sent out this email to their community. Dear PTBE Community, This morning the sun rose just as it did yesterday and as it will tomorrow, but for most of us it doesn’t feel the same. Today greets our nation with feelings of unprecedented division. For some elation…
Read More »Studying with an Orthodox Rabbi
It’s no secret that one of my dearest friends is an Orthodox rabbi with whom I have studied for years. I’ve learned A LOT from him, including the fact that one should ignore all the prejudices that are directed at the Orthodox. Rabbi Judah Dardik (previously rabbi of Beth Jacob in Oakland) is one of…
Read More »Nothing’s wrong with the word ‘non-Jew’
Yes, being different is a fine thing to be I received this question to my column, Mixed and Matched: I’ve heard people say that Jews shouldn’t refer to people who aren’t Jewish as “non-Jews.” Is that really a pejorative term? What should one say? Many of my non-Jewish friends don’t have a religion at…
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