On the evening of October 7, at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, I listened to the moving words of Uri Sharon at the third anniversary October 7 commemoration. Uri was in the army on October 7, 2023 and helped to drive out Hamas terrorists from Israel on that… Read more »
I once heard a speech quoting a conversation someone had with Albert Einstein. The questioner asked him, “If you could meet a person from a previous generation, who would it be?” Einstein, who was Jewish though not religious, answered, “I would like to meet Moses.” He then added, “I… Read more »
This past week, a colleague and I shared these thoughts about the tragic and senseless murders of two Israeli Embassy Staff members in Washington. We are heartbroken by the tragic murders of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky in Washington, D.C., outside the Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday, May 22.… Read more »
We’ve just come out of the Seders on Passover — the festival of freedom. We sat at the Seder table, retold the story, tasted the bitter and the sweet, and declared once again, “In every generation, a person must see themselves as if they personally left Egypt.” But if… Read more »
Chazal, our sages, teach that often after having celebrated a holiday, we want to linger a few days, remaining in the essence of the holy day. Our days in Shushan have ended for this year, yet there is a way of staying here a bit longer because Purim is… Read more »
As the few weeks of our “winter” chill give way to mild, sunny days in Tucson, we have the opportunity to celebrate trees, plant seeds and try new fruits as we celebrate Tu B’Shvat, the New Year for Trees. Growing up in Connecticut, I remember my mother hosting an… Read more »
It’s possible that this article you are about to read was written by a robot. I’m not saying I’m a robot, I’m saying the article could have been written by a robot. For those who are unaware, there is a technology available on the internet called ChatGPT, a form… Read more »
Do you know the difference between a Jewish pessimist and a Jewish optimist? The Jewish pessimist says, “Things can’t possibly get any worse.” The Jewish optimist says, “Sure they can!” The 5784 year often felt that way to Jews everywhere. Last year is gone, and as a Sephardic… Read more »
As a Rabbi, I am often asked, “How do we know something was meant to happen?” And I always answer softly, “If… it happened.” There is a concept in Chassidic thought that teaches us about Divine Providence- “Hashgacha Pratis”. This belief underscores that G-d has a master plan for… Read more »
We are currently in the liminal time between the two holidays of Passover and Shavuot. During these seven weeks, we are counting the Omer. This period between Passover and Shavuot is not merely a calendar countdown; it can be a spiritual pilgrimage, a path of self-discovery and… Read more »
There he is, totally oblivious to what is about to happen. He is caught in the spotlight, bewildered, in his own world. The whole studio audience stands. Nicholas Winton, on the front row, has no idea until someone taps him on the shoulder and asks him to turn. Only… Read more »
Our time in this world is replete with activity, full of action, and fraught with responsibilities. Yet, there are not many things we do more in life than interact with those around us. As the day and age in which we live gets progressively more distant, those constant… Read more »
During the past weeks in Torah time we have at last achieved our freedom from Egyptian slavery. But Moses’ demand was to let the people go so that they could worship YHVH in the wilderness. In other words, our freedom wasn’t for its own sake; we could now freely… Read more »
This article was originally published at Tucson.com. I’m writing this column to give an insight into what many Jewish people are going through. I don’t speak for all Jews, but I do speak for a sizeable swathe of my community. Since the Hamas massacre of Israelis on October 7,… Read more »
I was nervous about coming to Tucson because I knew I would be a co-rabbi with Rabbi Thomas Louchheim. He seemed nice at my interview weekend, but how would this work in practice?! Would it be awkward? Would it be unclear who had rabbinic authority? What would be the… Read more »
Rabbi Kleinman Growing up in Tucson, Alanna “Lonnie” Kleinman did not know any female rabbis or any religious leaders who identified as LGTBQ. Now Kleinman is joining a much more diverse rabbinate, one that more fully reflects the fullness of Jewish communities. On May 22, almost 50 years after Rabbi Sally… Read more »
On June 16th, in New York, Rabbi Cantor Emily Ellentuck received rabbinic ordination from The Rabbinical Academy at Mesifta Adath Wolkowisk. She serves as Cantor for Congregation M’Kor Hayim and works at Tucson Hebrew Academy as program coordinator and teaching Judaic Studies and tefillah.… Read more »
Rabbi Thomas A. Louchheim Background: I received both doses of the Moderna vaccine in March of this year. Just over two weeks ago I suffered a bad cold, and was asked to be tested. On the fourth day of my symptoms, I received a positive antigen test. Nine days into my quarantine, I… Read more »
Rabbi Dr. Scott Saulson Kol Ami is the “old-new” synagogue in town. After nearly two years of collaborative planning, we are emerging from and building on the legacies of Temple Emanu-El, founded in 1910, and of Congregation Or Chadash, founded in 1995. We envision “a home of joyful Judaism for all.” Indeed, we… Read more »
Rabbi Helen T. Cohn Jewish teaching makes it clear in the Torah and later writings that we have a special obligation to take care of the weakest members of society, referred to in Torah as “the widow, the orphan, and the stranger.” Thus in a sense the Torah recognizes that not all people… Read more »
