As the sun sets and Shabbat arrives, we will conclude the most painful and terrifying week that Israel and the Jewish people have experienced since the founding of the state. Thank God, the immediate threat to Israeli lives has been largely neutralized, and we pray that it stays that way. But there is great uncertainty Continue Reading »
American Jews refer to it as Yom HaShoah, but the official name given to Holocaust Memorial Day by the State of Israel is Yom HaShoah V’ha-g’vurah, Holocaust and Heroism Day. Set on the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, the intention was to emphasize Jewish resistance to the Nazis. We were not merely hapless victims Continue Reading »
Dear Temple Beth-El community, It is unfortunate that once again we must address antisemitism in our own country. The Anti-Defamation League has notified Jewish communities of very disturbing events planned for this weekend with the following message: ‘White supremacist groups are trying to organize antisemitic activities as a “National Day of Hate” throughout this coming Continue Reading »
D’VAR TORAH PARSHA HA’AZINU Deuteronomy 32:1-52 The dog ate my homework. The ball hit a rock. The sun was in my eyes. We all know what these are–they are excuses. Fictitious justifications for our failure to take responsibility for our actions. Responsibility is one of the themes of this week’s poetically powerful parsha, Ha’azinu, Continue Reading »
Today is Yom HaShoah, the day established by the Knesset in April 1951 to be the official day of Holocaust remembrance for Israel and the Jewish people. In 1953 the Knesset appropriately renamed this day yom hashoah v’hag’vura, the Day of Holocaust and Heroism. The date, the 27th of Nisan, was chosen for its proximity to the date of Continue Reading »
This week has been very painful, as losses have mounted. Loss during this crisis has come in many forms. First and foremost, in the tragic and devastating loss of life. Our hearts go out in sympathy to all who mourn the passing of loved ones or friends, and we pray for the souls of the Continue Reading »
I have never felt a connection to the Holocaust. To me, it was always a horrific crime against humanity and never a terrible act against my own people. But on a recent trip to the concentration camps of the past, where I saw the ashes for myself, it has never felt more real. Being in Continue Reading »
