There is nothing quite like celebrating Chanukah in Israel. I still remember with great fondness walking the streets of Jerusalem for my first Chanukah there. Smelling all the various aromas of sufganiyot (special Chanukah doughnuts), tasting all the different specialty … Read more...
I write to you during an uncertain moment in the life of our people. As I write this note, we are now 18 days after the horrific massacre that took place on October 7th. I pray that by the time … Read more...
There is a plethora of halakaot and mitzvot that pertain to Sukkot. More so than any other Jewish holiday, including Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur combined. Even within those seemingly simple commandments like taking the lulav and etrog and shaking … Read more...
I think it is safe to say that many of us feel as though from last High Holy Days until this one, the world has become more complicated. There is this sense of chaos and urgency that is being felt … Read more...
I always have a bittersweet feeling when it comes to writing the June article for our bulletin. This essentially marks the end of our programmatic year. While the Senior Staff of the Temple is looking towards the future and all … Read more...
Many years ago, Rabbi Miller did something which wasn’t happening in synagogue religious schools – he said “Yes, we will educate your child.” With that statement, Kulanu was born. A program geared towards helping children with development needs succeed and … Read more...
At services on March 10th, I spoke about how I was wrestling with an Israel that seems to be changing how it treats its non-Orthodox and non-Jewish citizens (if you missed the sermon you can find it on YouTube entitled: … Read more...
Calling all congregants!
We are very excited about a joint URJ/ARZA project for Israel’s 75th Birthday. ARZA, through the Herzl Society, is enabling URJ congregations to be a part of a wide scale endeavor to put out a recording of … Read more...
In a few days, I will be joined by our Educator, Matt Vogel, as well as a few parent chaperones, as we take our teens on a civil rights trip to the Deep South. Our stops will include Montgomery, Alabama… Read more...
Of the many goals that Theodore Herzl had, one of them was that a Jewish state might normalize Jewish life throughout the world. This dream of his has only been proven half true. The Jewish experience in Israel has been … Read more...
