Don't pass-over the struggle of the Israelites in the Passover story. Don't pass-over the call to see ourselves as if we were slaves in Egypt. Don't pass-over the moments begging for questions and discussion. Don't pass-over the hungry in our midst. They're the ones hoping that their favorite soup will be on the shelf this week when they stop by the pantry. Don't pass-over the widow seeking connection. She's the one sitting off to the side. Her face is a little melancholy. She doesn't light up when the table sings Dayeinu this year. Don't pass-over the orphan longing for more time with loved ones. He's a father of his own now, but he has now celebrated a decade without his parents at the seder table. Above all else, don't pass-over seeing the humanity in our neighbor, even when our instinct is to fear them. Do pass-over the urge to rush the seder just to get to the meal. Do pass-over the beeps and buzzes of your devices and leave them in another room. Do pass-over the desire … [Read more...]
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Voices of the Future
"I have a voice. My voice is powerful. My voice can change the world." These words by Elana Arian are sung over and over by the teens attending the L'Taken Social Justice Seminar as they move through this very special weekend. L'Taken, in partnership with the Religious Action Center and the Union for Reform Judaism, is designed to both expose high school students to a variety of public policy issues and explore the Jewish values that inform the Reform Movement's advocacy around these issues. Our teens spent time learning about social issues and public policy that interested them, as well as how to present their ideas in the best ways possible. They took this learning and created presentations for our Georgia politicians. We were fortunate to present to Legislative Correspondents in the offices of Senator Jon Ossoff, Senator Raphael Warnock, Representative Rich McCormick, and Representative Henry Johnson. The students presented on the issues of Israel, Antisemitism, Disability … [Read more...]
A Day of Pride and Joy
Obligatory joy—that is one of the commandments for the holy days of Sukkot.[1] Just as we are supposed to build a Sukkah to eat and dwell in with guests, so too are we commanded to be joyous during these days. That is why the coincidence of Atlanta’s Pride Parade and the first night of Sukkot this past Sunday seemed so fitting: a day filled with pride and joy. As a congregation, we participate in Pride because of our deep belief in two verses from Torah. First, that all human beings are created in the image of God.[2] From this we know that every human being contains a spark of the Divine. If God’s likeness is found in each of us, then we owe one another the respect and dignity that we would give to God. Second, we follow the belief from Rabbi Akiva who says that the greatest principle in Torah is to love your neighbor as you love yourself.[3] As a Jewish community, we have a responsibility to ensure that gender and sexual orientation are never obstacles to living meaningful Jewish … [Read more...]
Today, it is hard to be a Jew
These days continue to be very hard to be a Jew. The war between Israel and Hamas has caused many of our eyes to open up to facts about our American society that are so painful to us because they are hateful. The Israeli captives exchanged for convicted Palestinian terrorists (in a 1:3 ratio) cause us to give profound thanks, while at the same time makes us remember the vast majority of those who are still in Gaza (if they are alive at all). Many of us are politically more engaged now than we have ever been in our lives as we realize that Israel's well-being has now risen to the top of our priority list for any upcoming election. The Jewish future, as the Israelis claim, is in a state of existential crisis. Our college students are on the front line. We obsess with the news headlines and coverage. We actively evaluate each friend and relationship based on whether their actions and words endorse or condemn our right to exist. When times are really tough, our tradition has us look to … [Read more...]
What is important?
Like many of you, I have been watching the news in Israel this past week with close attention. Israel is very much a part of my personal identity, and one of the pillars of Temple Emanu-El. We as modern Jewish-Americans cannot understate the importance of Israel to our self-identity and well-being in the world, whether or not we are conscious of it. So it was painful this past week to see the stories and to speak to our Israeli relatives, about the 450 rockets fired by Palestinian terrorists at Israeli civilian populations. Our kids have school canceled due to threats of snow, the Israeli kids had school closed this week because of rockets. Families spent days on end in bomb shelters. It’s a sad reality, but also a tremendous testament to the Israeli spirit that they deal with the psychological burden with a sober attitude, and then return back to everyday life when the threat has subsided. L’chayim-to life is more than a toast, it’s a way of life. But I want to share something with … [Read more...]
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