This week’s Torah portion, Vayishlach (Gen 32:4), includes the story of Jacob’s name becoming Israel. Basically, Jacob was returning from years of flight from his brother Esau. The night before they met, Jacob wrestled with an angel who wounded him in the leg and renamed him Israel or “one who...
A Thanksgiving Family Prayer As we gather together with family and friends for Thanksgiving this year, we are mindful of the many blessings which enrich our lives. We pray for the wellbeing of all our loved ones and for the wellbeing of our country. Together, let us offer our deepest...
Shalom, KI Community! While some programs have been in full swing, the Inclusion Committee has been planning our programs for the 2021-2022 year. As an example, “Clearing the Confusion II,” a panel discussion on navigating current Covid issues will be held on ZOOM and Facebook Live on December 12th. Researchers...
November 9, 2021 was the 83rd anniversary of Kristallnacht, the “Night of Broken Glass,” in which the Nazis burned Jewish businesses and synagogues in Germany and Austria. Sources indicate that over 1,000 synagogues were burned or destroyed. All within the span of two days, 7,000 Jewish businesses were looted and...
RABBINIC SEARCH COMMITTEE Search Committee Co-chairs Janice Schwartz-Donahue has been a member of KI for nearly 40 years although her family’s connection to KI reaches back to the 1920s. She taught 5th grade in Philadelphia for 39 years and was an active KI Sisterhood member, serving as Sisterhood Co-President in...
Under the leadership of Cantor Levy and Toby Grubman, our partnership with the Lowell Elementary School is flourishing. COVID presented a challenge for us last year, and this year we are not able to do all of the things we did in the past, but we are committed to helping....
This week’s Torah portion, Toldot (Genesis 25:19), reports on the life of the twins, Jacob and Esau, born to Isaac and Rebecca and their complex family dynamics. The Hebrew word Toldot is generally translated as “generations” but literally is closer to “descendants” in English but can also be used as...
This week’s Torah Portion, Hayei Sarah, the fifth sidrah in the first Torah Book, Bereshit/Genesis, begins with the death of the first matriarch of the Jewish people, Sarah our Mother. Even though the portion is entitled “Sarah’s Life,” chapter 23 begins with the mournful announcement of her death after 127...
In this week’s Torah portion, Vayera (Genesis 18), we read about the first “Jewish Supply Chain Crisis.” Basically, because of a fight within Abraham’s family, the first ‘Jewish’ family, half of the Jewish population is sent away. It is a complex and uncomfortable story. Abraham had been promised to be...
In this week’s Torah portion, Lech L’cha, God tells a young Abraham “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and it shall be blessing.” (Gen. 12:2) Throughout the portion, an emphasis is on how “great” of a nation...
