The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and American Jews have a long-shared history. Last week’s viciously anti-Semitic posting by Minister Rodney Muhammad, head of the Philadelphia Chapter of the NAACP, has thrown relations between Americans Jews, African Americans, and the NAACP into disarray. First and unequivocally,...
“V’Eileh Had’varim asher diber Moshe el Bnai Yisrael…” And these are the words that Moses addressed to Israel on the other side of the Jordan, through the wilderness…” The book of D’varim/Deuteromy begins with these words! With “words,” Moses our teacher begins his review of the history of the Israelite...
There was a time in my life when I had to make a critical decision as my KI membership renewal information arrived. I was raising two daughters as a “single parent,” and working as an elementary school teacher, with little extra to spare at the end of each month. In...
In this week’s Torah portion, Matot-Masei, we recall our travels from Egypt through the desert. Names of destinations are listed, and each stopping point named. Honestly, listening to this list of “vacation” spots made me a little envious of our people’s ability to move around without too much fear of...
Dear KI Congregants, “How Does Being a Synagogue Member Make My Life Better?” is the title of an article that I read a number of years ago in a URJ publication. I tucked it away to share on a day such as this. Rabbi Paul Kipnes, a rabbi of a...
Both the Torah Portion (Pinchas, Numbers 25:10) and the Haftarah (I Kings 18:46) include expressions of extreme (religious) violence. In the former, Pinchas, a grandson of Aaron, publicly slays a mixed couple. In the latter, the prophet Elijah, some four centuries later, slays the priests of Baal and then dismembers...
Throughout the Torah, we receive communications from God in many different forms. Last week, I shared with you that God stayed with us as the presence of clouds. This week God communicates to us through a variety of animals. In the Torah portion, Chukat, God sends serpents to attack the...
Despite the fact that the Constitution of the new State of North Carolina required that the holding of public office required both a belief in the “truth of the Protestant religion” and the “divine authority” of the New Testament, Jacob Henry (1775-1847), a Jew, was elected to the North Carolina...
An Inclusion Committee, chaired by Ellen Green Sklaroff, has been formed at Keneseth Israel to ensure that all congregants have access to enriching cultural and religious experiences. These congregants may have physical and developmental differences, social and emotional issues. The inter-faith, multi-racial and LGBTQ+ communities are also an important part...
Rabbi, I thank you for your blessings on this Installation Shabbat. It is also a blessing for us to be guardians of this historic congregation. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the families who attended our Annual Meeting and KI-Kindness Celebration and approved our new slate...
