This year at Beth El we are taking a slightly different approach to the High Holy Days. No unlike Passover, we pushed ourselves to think about the theme of the Holy Day. At its core, Passover is about Freedom, it is the story of our ancestors journey from slavery to freedom and so we decided to create an experience that was thematically similar yet meaningful in 2016. Whether it was the tents inside the social hall, the camels and donkeys outside or the Hazzan and I dressed up as Moses and … [Read more...]
The Secret Book of Kings
Purchase the Secret Book of Kings I recently began reading a wonderful new book entitled "The Secret Book of Kings" by Israeli author Yochi Brandes. The synopsis of the book is as follows: "The Secret Book of Kings upends conventions of biblical novels, engaging with the canonized stories of the founding of the Kingdom of Israel and turning them on their heads. Presented for the first time are the heretofore unknown stories of the House of Saul and of the northern Kingdom of … [Read more...]
Going Back to School – Interfaith Jewish Family Engagement
On Thursday I will return to being a student, albeit virtually, at Hebrew College in Newton, Massachusetts. Over the summer I read a post about a brand new MA and Certificate program at Hebrew College on the topic of Interfaith Families Jewish Engagement, and was immediately interested in learning more. While the rabbinate does not require continuing education credits, it is a must if you want to keep up with most recent data, trends and innovative programming across the Jewish world. The … [Read more...]
Human or Divine – Why Not Both
As a child I always took the stories of the Tanakh (Jewish Bible) on face value or at least to the extent I could understand. While questioning was not frowned upon, it seemed easier to go along with the story being that day in Hebrew School. Did it really matter what happened between Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau...or was the moral of the story the greater lesson? In High School we read Shakespeare and learning about the time in which (we believe) Shakespeare lived was … [Read more...]
A Letter To My Daughter On Her First Day of Kindergarten
Naama, Today was a day that your Imma (mom) and Abba (dad) looked forward to for many years. It was, to put it lightly a Shehecheyanu moment. We woke up, earlier than usual, and drove you to your first day of kindergarten at The Friedel Jewish Day School. I remember like it was yesterday arriving in Omaha in August 2011, you were 5 weeks old, and being taken on a tour of the school. Imma and I knew from the moment we got married that our children would … [Read more...]
Welcoming The Stranger
In furtherance of the commandment to care for the stranger among us, Beth El leadership has embarked in preliminary discussions with local community volunteers to pursue an active role in the refugee crisis around the world. We have met with Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, a leading advocate for refugee resettlement in the Omaha area, to discuss how Beth El Synagogue can be a partner in this effort along with the numerous other faith-based organizations throughout the city that are … [Read more...]
Why I’m With Her
Three weeks ago my congregation, my community learned a hard truth that we had known in our minds, but not experienced in our hearts. That violence does not affect other people and other families, but something that touches us all. Three weeks ago, a young man, Seth Rich, 27 years old, was shot dead in the prime of his life on the streets of Washington, DC. Three weeks ago my congregation lost one of its children. Seth, grew up here in Omaha, attending Central High and Creighton. He … [Read more...]
A Proven Solution
As a kid I attended Camp Harlem, a Jewish overnight camp in the Poconos affiliated with the Reform movement. It was a wonderful place and it left an indelible mark on my Jewish future. Yet from the moment I began dating Shira it was apparent how important Ramah was to her and her family. It was not just about the place or the impact, but about the people. It was not until recently that I fully understand the last effect of camp. Many of us and I will include myself in this group, we see camp as … [Read more...]
Our Shared Future
Upon arriving in Omaha five years ago I knew we had found an incredible community. Omaha has stellar schools, a philanthropic culture, low unemployment, the best zoo in the US and a high quality of living…just to name a few of the many wonderful characteristics of our community. Yet one of the aspects of the community that surprised me the most was the lack of racial diversity. In my time at Beth El I have searched out ways to be active and involved in North and South Omaha, predominantly … [Read more...]
Judaism – Skeptics Welcome
While on vacation last week I did a great deal of reading, in the midst of a number of new books, I took the time to come back to one of my all time favorites, God Was Not in the Fire by Rabbi Daniel Gordis. This is one of those books that helps give me purpose, every page makes me think and whenever I read it, at all different stages in my life, I respond differently that I have before. I read it for the first time when I was in the process of applying to rabbinical school. The book spoke to … [Read more...]
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