In last week’s Torah portion of Kedoshim we read the important commandment: ‘You shall not curse the deaf nor place a stumbling block before the blind.’ It is a teaching that we take to heart all these years later as we try to make life easier – not harder –...

This week we mark the 75th anniversary of Israel’s founding. It is in every respect a remarkable milestone. Who would have thought, a century ago, that the Jewish people would have a place to call home? Who would have thought, as Hitler’s hate machine sought to eradicate an entire population,...

This Shabbat, we again read a double portion, Tazria/M’tzora. We are introduced to the very complex and difficult concept in the religious life of Bnai Yisrael/Children of Israel: ritual purity and impurity. These categories are strange for us as 21st century Jews. There are very traditional members of the Jewish...

This Shabbat, Friday, April 14, 2023 at 7:00 p.m., is our Organ Donor Shabbat. Organ donation is central to Judaism as one of our tenets is “Pikuach Nefesh.” Jewish tradition considers saving human life — pikuach nefesh in Hebrew — to be among the highest ethical obligations. Saving one life,...

This week alone we have read about a school shooting in Nashville, mass protests in Israel around agonizing and anti-democratic proposals, tainted drinking water in Philadelphia, the continued escalation of violence in Ukraine and a tornado that brought havoc to many residents of Mississippi. All of this, on top of...

This week we begin the Book of Leviticus. It’s the third book of the Torah and often considered an archaic and challenging book. It relays, among other things, the details around the ritual sacrifices our ancestors made in the earliest days of Judaism. We read about the sacrifices that existed...

Double Sidrah of Biblical “Legos,” Fabrics, Equipment, and Instructions for Assembly. SHIR KI Returns to Verizon Hall! We have arrived at the end of Sefer Sh’mot, the Book of Exodus. In Synagogues around the world, two Torah portions are read this coming Shabbat morning. We have learned that there are...

Each year we honor a member for lifelong service to KI and service to humanity with a Rabbi David Einhorn Award and a plaque on the Simcha Wall. This award is presented at our Heritage Shabbat which was created about ten years ago to honor the founding of KI in...

Spring Celebration 2023 Raffles #1 – “Reserved for You” – KI Parking Spot for a Year with a Reserved Name Plate #2 – “Flowers for a Year” – Up to 12 Bouquets of Flowers for 12 months #3- “Camp Harlam Plus, Plus, Plus” – $360 towards camp program 12+ days and...

I spent this weekend in DC with a fantastic group of tenth graders from our congregation. We were there as part of the Religious Action Center’s L’Taken program, which teaches teens about advocacy, Jewish values, and how to speak truth to power. In addition to various programs on the issues,...