By Robin Jacobson. The Passover Seder is a night of questions – questions about the stories we inherit, the nature of Jewish identity, and what we owe to strangers who are oppressed or suffering. To stretch your mental muscles on these questions in advance of Passover, take a look at two compelling new memoirs: Inheritance: …
This week is the fourth week of the month. For Reflections Off the Bimah, the fourth week features thought leaders drawn from throughout the Jewish world. These special posts give you the opportunity to consider important opinions you may not readily encounter. This week is a piece from Sarah Tuttle-Singer who blogs from Israel for The …
When I was growing up in Baltimore, I had a lot of family most of whom were somewhat observant and one side of my dad‘s family that were ultra orthodox. In Jewish Baltimore, it is not uncommon to see black hatters walking down the street on Shabbat and see women with their heads covered, wearing …
We live in a time of personal searching. Bookshelves are full of titles encouraging us to find our true path, inspire our soul or discover our inner resilience. We are in a time which Dr. Arnold Eisen, Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary calls, a search for “our sovereign selves.” (The Jew Within by Steven …
By Robin Jacobson. The holiday of Purim sparkles like a fairytale – costumes and carnivals; wine and song; and an age-old tale of a foolish King, a brave Queen and an evil-plotting courtier. What a perfect month for reading fantasy fiction. The two bewitching books described below – one for adults, one for children – …
This week is the fourth week of the month. For Reflections Off the Bimah, the fourth week features thought leaders drawn from throughout the Jewish world. These special posts give you the opportunity to consider important opinions you may not readily encounter. February is designated as JDAIM or Jewish Disability and Inclusion Month across the country. …
If you are a regular shul goer, you may not have been surprised to hear the recent Pew Study. Essentially, it says that shul goers are 11% more likely than their non going counterparts to be happy. Read more here. I could spend some solid time here breaking down the reasons that this may be …
I have learned disabilities are sometimes obvious and other times hidden. Crutches and wheelchairs are external indicators of physical differences. As a community we have been diligent to design spaces to be accessible through wider doorways, a ramp in the sanctuary, door assist mechanisms and other intentional features for our physical spaces. We have allowed …
By Robin Jacobson. In March 1939, Max Brod fled his home in Czechoslovakia, just ahead of the Nazi invasion. Boarding the last train out of Prague before the borders closed, Brod clutched a bulging, cracked-leather suitcase containing the manuscripts, letters, and diaries of his late friend, Franz Kafka, the Czech Jewish author of 20th Century …
This week is the fourth week of the month. For Reflections Off the Bimah, the fourth week features thought leaders drawn from throughout the Jewish world. These special posts give you the opportunity to consider important opinions you may not readily encounter. This week’s blog is written by Yiling Shen, a frequent blogger at ArchDaily.com We …
A few days ago, we observed the birthday of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. His vision for America and humanity continues to resonate even as we continue to fall too short of his dream. Of the many quotes attributed to Dr. King, I have been thinking about one in particular – ‘We may have all …
Meditating with Teens A couple of teens rushed up to me at the last second and asked if I still had space in the class. Pleasantly surprised, I scribbled their names down on the same day registration form in my hand. They wanted to sign up for the Yoga and Meditation as part of the …
I want to share good news. I expect some will read this blog and respond as doubters and find exceptions – it is the times we live in today. Good news is just that… good news, not perfect news. Sometimes it is appropriate to see fears and divisions but we cannot lose the ability to …
By Robin Jacobson. A perennial source of fascination to physicists, philosophers, and poets is the nature of time. Does time progress along a straight line? Perhaps it ripples outward, like the rings on a tree trunk? Or maybe time is tiered, like an archaeological dig? The Maze at Windermere (2018), by Gregory Blake Smith, takes …
This week is the fourth week of the month. For Reflections Off the Bimah, the fourth week features thought leaders drawn from throughout the Jewish world. These special posts give you the opportunity to consider important opinions you may not readily encounter. This week’s blog is written by Elisha Frumkin, Beth El’s education director, while chaperoning …
“If you will it, it is no dream.” These words of Theodor Herzl from his book Altneuland, Old New Land (1902) resonate with me today. Herzl had a vision of establishing a political state for the Jewish People. He wrote at a time of rising nationalism and anti-Semitism. Herzl’s solution to the pogroms and hatred …
By Robin Jacobson. Fans of British mysteries, especially of the Sherlock Holmes variety, will relish Conan Doyle for the Defense by Margalit Fox. This is a true story about Arthur Conan Doyle (the author of the Sherlock Holmes tales) and his successful pursuit of justice for a Jewish man wrongly convicted of murder in early …
You know, I heard that Aretha Franklin’s funeral was eight hours long. EIGHT!!!!! To be fair, the program was scheduled for 6 hours, so they were only over by 25% or so. I guess they needed time for: Faith Hill, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Stevie Wonder Ron Isley, Chaka Khan, Yolanda Adams, Marvin Sapp, the Clark Sisters, …
The fifth week of the month is a wildcard in our blog schedule. As Hanukkah begins this Sunday night, let’s think about the holiday from a new angle. Jewish service members are deployed around the globe this Hanukkah. Hopefully they will be able to enjoy a jelly donut, light the candles and appreciate their role …
This week is the fourth week of the month. For Reflections Off the Bimah, the fourth week features thought leaders drawn from throughout the Jewish world. These special posts give you the opportunity to consider important opinions you may not readily encounter. Judaism is filled with traditions. Some are public events in synagogues while many more …
The other day, Rabbi Harris came into my office during a rehearsal and said, “please quiet down, I think people are having way too much fun in here!” Some of you may know that back in Connecticut I ran a teen choir for 9 years that performed locally at Shabbat services and traveled nationally as …
By Robin Jacobson. This November marks the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht (“Night of Broken Glass”), considered by many to be the night the Holocaust began. A violent turning point in Nazi Jewish policy, this wave of orchestrated, anti-Jewish riots swept across Germany, Austria, and parts of Czechoslovakia on November 9-10, 1938. This fall, commemorations around …
I am proud to be Jewish, even in these difficult days. In these past days, I have cried with people and sometimes hugged when words felt inadequate. Rabbi Werbin, Hazzan Fradkin and I have spent time with Beth El students and adults responding to the tragedy in Pittsburgh. We have had gatherings in the sanctuary …
This week is the fourth week of the month. For Reflections Off the Bimah, the fourth week features thought leaders drawn from throughout the Jewish world. These special posts give you the opportunity to consider important opinions you may not readily encounter. I am bringing a blog by Dr. Joy Ladin who is the Gottesman Professor …
So I was sitting in my office one day with a teen who is involved in our High School A Capella group, Marak Hayom ( Soup of the Day). We were discussing their upcoming repertoire for the year and I asked if she’d heard this version of Hashem Melech by the Y-Studs A Capella group. …
During the High Holidays, I enjoy looking at the kahal (community) gathered. I clearly recall how I felt during my first Rosh Hashana at Beth El and how many strangers were before me. Over many years I have been invited into so many people’s lives. In quiet moments on the bimah, I reflect on the …
This week is the fourth week of the month. For Reflections Off the Bimah, the fourth week features thought leaders drawn from throughout the Jewish world. These special posts give you the opportunity to consider important opinions you may not readily encounter. This year feels like a Sukkah Wash-Out… but it didn’t always rain. Below is …
By Robin Jacobson. On Simchat Torah, we reach the end of the Torah and begin reading it anew. The rabbis promise that each year’s reading offers new insights as our life experience broadens. Is it similarly true, I wonder, that remarks our parents made take on new meaning over time? And is there something a …
Congregational Singing It’s the “it phrase” for Hazzanim looking to get a good job out of school and the trend that veteran Cantors have needed to embrace in order to stay relevant. It’s the title of a book by Joey Weisenberg, the musical director of Kehilat Hadar, a vibrant spiritual community in Manhattan. It’s also …
By Robin Jacobson. “I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.” –The Lorax by Dr. Seuss According to tradition, Rosh Hashanah is the birthday celebration of Creation. In one rabbinic tale, God takes Adam on a tour of the Garden of Eden, proudly pointing out its natural splendors and admonishing, “Do not …
Throughout the Torah, the Israelites are reminded “you know the feelings of a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Ex 23:9) Thirty-six times in the Torah and throughout our rituals, we are reminded of our ancestors’ hardships in Egypt. These reminders are prompts for us to extend kindness and welcome others …
One of my favorite places in all of Washington, D.C. is the Library of Congress. My first visit was in 1981 and it has been a recurring joy and fascination for me ever since. While on sabbatical a number of years ago, I chose to immerse myself within the riches of the Library’s Hebraic Section. …
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