5780: Our Annual Rosh HaShanah Sermon Roundup
Typically, at some point in my work on this project, my wife will lean over my shoulder and ask me, in her own style, “So. How are the Jews this year?” Some years that is a difficult question to answer. This year the answer is clear: The Jews are afraid.
Our Migrant First Family: Abraham Passed the Test, but Will We?
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, presented this sermon on Rosh HaShanah morning, saying, "We need to face something so odious that we will try to avert our eyes. But we must not."
What I Learned From Researching My Family Tree
My interest in Jewish genealogy goes back to 1992, but it was a librarian at my local public library who put me on the path to research my family history.
Making Synagogue a Place to Run To, Not From
The events of my son’s bar mitzvah day don't begin to tell the story of how Max arrived at that moment.
It’s Hard to be a Jew at Christmas, But Even Harder on Tu BiSh’vat
It is a truth universally acknowledged that it can be difficult to be Jewish at Christmas time. It has seeped into North American cultural consciousness so thoroughly that South Park even wrote a song about it, complete with trademark expletives.
This Lemon Cake Recipe Exposed a Family Secret
After a Shabbat dinner in my home for three Germans, one of them shared a lemon cake recipe and the incredible story of how it uncovered a long-held family secret.
This Passover: A Season of Justice for the Environment
How PJ Library® Helped Our Congregation Engage Families with Young Children
A Plea for Equality and Peace in Israel in a Children’s Sukkot Song
One iconic, modern Hebrew song about Sukkot is far more than a simple holiday song for children.
Greene Family Camp and Temple Emanu-El Rally to Help Families Impacted by Dallas Tornadoes
On Sunday night, the Dallas/Fort Worth area was hit by severe thunderstorms, including multiple confirmed tornadoes, which devastated parts of Dallas and the surrounding communities and directly impacted members of the Jewish community.