For much of the past year, I have served as one of the Programming Co-Chairs for the ARJE Annual Gathering, a national conference that brings together Reform Jewish educators and presenters from across the country to learn, connect, and grow as one community. Each year, the conference location is

Shabbat Shalom and Happy New Year!   I am so fortunate to be able to be the first Shabbat Shalom message to go out as everyone celebrates the new year. I feel like every time "New Years" comes around, we take the time to reflect on the past and think

Eleka nahmen nahmen, ah tum ah tum, eleka nahmen! Eleka nahmen nahmen, ah tum ah tum, eleka nahmen!   If you thought that was an excerpt from Vayishlach, you are close….but guess again! Those are the famous words that begin the song “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished,” from the movie Wicked: For Good (or for the Broadway buffs out there -

Lech L’cha: The Journey Ahead  This past Sunday at J-Quest, we celebrated one of my favorite moments of the year — Consecration, when our youngest students are formally welcomed into their Jewish learning journey. Parents and grandparents filled the sanctuary, proudly watching as our children sang, received their first

Shabbat Shalom! This week we begin the book of D'varim (Deuteronomy). Moses gathers the Israelites, standing on the edge of the Promised Land, and reminds them of their journey — the challenges they’ve faced, the growth they’ve experienced, and the lessons they’ve learned. It’s a moment of both looking

I want to start out by inviting our community to please join me this Sunday evening, June 22nd, at 6:30 p.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom for the Israel Scouts Caravan. This is a program that we are co-sponsoring and is being put on by Leorah Eisenberg (daughter of Dr.

Today is Thursday, though some of you may read this on Friday, and while nearly two weeks will have passed since some of these events, I find myself still processing and appreciating a truly meaningful—and wonderfully packed—week. Between the final day of J-Quest classes and our Rick Recht family

This week’s Torah portion, Tzav, continues the conversation from last week’s Vayikra, diving deeper into the world of ancient sacrifices. While the idea of animal sacrifices may feel distant to us today, Tzav offers something surprisingly relevant: that the different kinds of offerings were not just about ritual—there were

This week, we read the Torah portion T’tzaveh, where it focuses on the sacred garments of the Kohanim (priests). The portion focuses on all of the specific details of their clothing—the breastplate, robe, and turban—and how the clothing signifies their role and responsibility to serve the community and lead

I write this message coming off of the excitement of a 4-day educator’s conference that I just returned from, which took place in Evanston. I joined 300 Reform Jewish educators and early childhood educators for an opportunity to network, learn, and of course, have some fun as well! It