We all saw it. Again. Nearly 700 Afghanistanis packed into a C-17 on August 15, 2021, sitting on the aircraft’s floor and hoping the giant plane could get on the only working runway in Kabul even as the tarmac was swelling with thousands of their fellow citizens fleeing from the...
This Shabbat, we read Parashat Ki Tetzei, the sixth portion in the book of Deuteronomy. This section is packed full of important laws delivered by Moses to the Israelites in his final discourse and review of the Torah before they cross over the Jordan River on their way into Eretz...
This week we began the Jewish month of Elul, which is the month when we start the preparation for the High Holy Days. The Hebrew Month of Elul is comprised of these Hebrew letters– aleph, lamed, vav, lamed – which is known in the Talmud, as the acronym for “Ani...
Part of this week’s Torah portion, Re’eh, from Deuteronomy 13 contains an extensive discussion of false prophets. Determining true and false prophecy is just as much modern as it was an ancient problem. Prophecy, is not just a matter of predicting the future, indeed even from a Biblical perspective, clairvoyance...
Jewish Relief Agency (JRA) is seeking volunteers to assist with packing and delivering boxes of food and critical household goods to families in need in our community ahead of the upcoming Rosh Hashanah holiday. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, JRA re-engineered our program model to allow individuals and families to volunteer...
Dear members of Keneseth Israel, My name is Viveka Hall-Holt, and I currently serve as a summer intern for Interfaith Philadelphia and am a rising senior at St. Olaf College. I am reaching out to you about a research study that I am doing which includes a short, 20 minute anonymous...
Like many of you, I spent many hours this week in front of the TV watching the Olympics. In my house, our favorite sports are Women’s Gymnastics and Women’s Swimming, in large because Liz was a competitive swimmer for many years. My interest in the Olympics notched up even further...
July 14, 2021 Dear Congregants: As we begin our search for KI’s next Rabbi, we are creating opportunities for our members to be part of this sacred journey. At this onset, we have created a survey for members to complete so that we can identify those attributes and issues that...
July 12, 2021 Rabbinic Search Committee Begins Its Work Dear KI Members, In Pirkei Avot, the Sayings of the Founders, we are told, “Make for yourself a teacher, acquire for yourself a friend.” Indeed, that has been true as we have been blessed for the past 21 years by the...
At the beginning of our Shabbat Morning Service, we recite a Blessing for Torah Study. Even though we specifically also have a Torah Service and Reading later in the service, the reading of Torah is throughout our liturgy. One example of this is the recitation of the “Shema” and “V’ahavta”...
