It was wonderful to see so many members of our community at Friday night’s Hanukkat Habayit, dedication of Congregation Torat El.  And how appropriate that we dedicated our home during this season of “dedication” with Hanukkah just around the corner!  We hope you enjoyed our Hanukkah party on Sunday morning, and we wish all of [...]

I was recently asked become a respondent on “Jewish Values Online,” a Q & A website that has rabbis from different denominations comment on a range of interesting questions. Some examples of topics and questions asked on this site include: When there is a conflict between “siding” with one’s spouse vs. one’s parents- is there [...]

I am back! Last week, I had the amazing opportunity to be a part of a cross denominational group of rabbis, executive directors, and other Jewish professionals from across the United States, Canada, England, and South America, who participated in a week long leadership seminar through the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. The [...]

In just a few days we will be celebrating Thanksgiving! Surrounded by food, family, and friends, most of us have an abundance of blessing in our lives.  There are others who are less fortunate. As you sit down to your Thanksgiving table, the following are a few suggestions to bring some Jewish meaning to your [...]

A few weeks ago I read an interesting article about the apparent lack of innovation in synagogue culture. In particular, the article highlighted the challenge of reaching out to young Jewish adults in the ever-lengthening life-stage between college graduation and the time of parenting school-aged children. The article began by discussing the most recent release [...]

At my former congregation we were privileged to host Rabbi Gershom Sizomu prior to his ordination from the American Jewish University. Rabbi Sizomu is the spiritual leader of the Abayudaya Jews in Uganda. I will never forget that incredible weekend and the inspiration that I felt as Rabbi Sizomu reminded us of the amazing Jewish [...]

October 31st is a busy day on the American calendar, especially for families with young children.  Here are two interesting articles that explore a Jewish approach to Halloween. http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/About_Holidays/Non-Jewish_Holidays/Halloween/Jewish_Halloween.shtml http://www.jewishtimes.com/index.php/jewishtimes/news/jt/cover_story/jews_and_the_halloween_dilemma/27372 Do you want to find out more about the Jewish perspective on magic and the supernatural? Check out the following link And one important Jewish [...]

Over the past year United Synagogue, the national umbrella organization of Conservative congregations, has been working to re-invent itself-from re-organizing its leadership structure, to crafting a new mission statement to creating a new strategic plan. United Synagogue is working to ensure that it stays relevant and productive. One noticeable improvement is a fully revamped website [...]

For those of you not able to attend the Sukkot Open House at Rabbi Schonbrun’s on October 16th, here are a few photos… [nggallery id=9]

Before this morning’s message, I wanted to share a few brief reminders: 1)      The annual CTE Sisterhood Supper in the Sukkah is tonight at 5:30. Please join us! 2)      Please note that my Monday night Adult Ed class, “Can You Believe She Said That?  The Jewish Take on Gossip” does not start tonight.  The class [...]