It was cold on the evening of Wednesday, November 13, but the Temple Beth El congregants who showed up for the “TBE Bends Toward Justice: Congregational Report Back” were warmed not just by the coffee and tea they drank but by the Community Organizing team’s presentation of the work they have been doing. Rabbi Klass […]
April 1970, ten months after the first two people stepped foot on the moon, NASA launched Apollo 13. Just two days into the mission, an oxygen tank onboard the spacecraft exploded putting the crew’s lives in jeopardy and set Mission Control on edge to try and figure out how to get the three astronauts safely […]
My journey into Judaism started 40 years ago through marriage to my husband, Fred. I had no idea when I decided to convert how much the religion would impact my life… from lighting the Sabbath candles to celebrating the holidays with my family, these rituals have given my life meaning and purpose. When I was least expecting it, […]
Although my Jewish identity has always been strong, I never thought of myself as an observant, learned or spiritual Jew. Like most I wondered – still do, at times – about the existence and nature of God. Sometimes I found services formulaic or the sermons stilted and wondered why I was going to another Shabbat […]
In 2018, I completed my conversion to Judaism. Much of my 2017 and 2018 was spent researching and attending Jewish events, attempting to fill my mind with all things involving Judaism. I participated in Elements of Judaism and the Choosing Judaism course. Temple Beth El and Shalom Park became my second home during this period. […]
In the midst of the chaos of moving to a new city with my partner, I recently attended Friday evening services for the first time in several years. There wasn’t one single reason I hadn’t been to in a synagogue in so long. In college, I discovered how at ease I felt expressing my Judaism […]
I was born, raised, and have lived in the South my entire life. Growing up Southern Jewish in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s was an adventure. We were very much a minority. Ours was a small Conservadox congregation. Although there were not many of us, most of the kids I hung out with were Jewish; […]
“Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it Holy” Exodus 20:8 As a child, my sister and I had specific chores that we had to do. Mine was the not-so-glamorous task of taking out the garbage every evening after dinner. Fridays were terrific. Dinner was a little later and less rushed. I had no homework that […]
When we first met, I was a new psychologist, just beginning to feel comfortable with troubled people coming to me for help. He was as different from me as one could imagine. He was a dark-skinned African American man. His military background, athletic and artistic accomplishments, his broken family history were all outside my own […]