RJ Blog

Confirmation and b’nai mitzvah have been front and center on this blog for the past few weeks, what with Rabbi Carole Balin’s post on the 90th anniversary of the first bat mitzvah, Barry Shainker’s appreciation of the role of confirmation in Reform Judaism, and then the thoughtful comments on Shainker’s post by rabbis Fred Guttman, Andy Koren, and Joel Abraham. As I commented on Rabbi Balin’s post, the early Reformers deserve high marks for the institution of confirmation as a replacement for bar mitzvah, even though over the long haul their innovation did not “take.” Mr. Shainker pointed out confirmation [...]

By Barry Shainker Confirmation, a fundamental part of Reform Judaism for more than a century, is, I must admit, a topic I knew little about until I was a sophomore in high school. Although I knew early on that Confirmation was a special ceremony held three years after bar or bat mitzvah for those students who chose to continue in religious school, I knew nothing of its significance on the Jewish calendar, its place in Reform, or the symbolism it represents. Both my parents were confirmed, and they told me about the beauty and power of the occasion, but walking [...]

by Joy Weinberg On May 20, 2012 – only 10 days from now! – I will be marrying E., the Jewish woman I love. (I call her E. here because as a therapist, she maintains strict boundaries between her professional and private life.) We will stand under the flowing, stunning, yellow, orange, red, and turquoise chuppah that she designed and painted on silk (a painstakingly challenging design process for a beginner, but that’s another blog post). We will drink from a sparkling, cobalt blue wine goblet that says in Hebrew, “Ani leh-dodee veh-dodee lee,” “I am my beloved’s, and my [...]

by Rabbi Evan Moffic Faith begins in mystery. Among the greatest mysteries we face is the afterlife. What happens when we die? Do we see our loved ones? Do we know them? Do they know us? The questions are endless. Jewish wisdom offers no definitive answer. We can identify, however, several core teachings. There is an afterlife: Texts from every era in Jewish life identify a world where people go when they die. In the Bible it’s an underworld called Sheol. In the rabbinic tradition it’s known by a number of names, including the yeshiva shel mallah, the school on [...]

Of all the parashot in all the Torah scrolls in all the world, that one – Sh’mini – had to walk into my life this year – not once, but twice. Because our Reform observance does not include the extra days added by the Sages for communities outside the land of Israel, we spent an extra week on this portion. Much of the content is focused on kashrut. But the parashah includes as well one of the few narrative events of the entire book of Vayikra (Leviticus) – the tale of the death of the two older sons of Aaron. [...]

The weight of Israel’s Memorial Day is almost too heavy to bear. Regardless of the deep political divisions in the Jewish state, there aren’t separate cemeteries for the fallen soldiers that were affiliated with different political parties. Profound grief cuts across the full spectrum of Israeli society. Memories of so many unfinished lives are held close by all of us who love Israel and understand the enormous sacrifice 64 years of statehood has required. In his book “Death as a Way of Life,” Israeli writer and peace activist David Grossman writes, “Today I ran into a reservist who served with [...]

by Leah Wolff-Pellingra This is the story of one life. Her name was Mina Speier-Holstein. She was one of 15 children born in Cologne. She taught Home Economics and Physical Education. She had one son. On Kristallnacht, they found each other – Mina, her husband, Baruch, and her son, Jonas. They roamed the parks all night, afraid to go home. Jonas and Baruch are enlisted as slave laborers, working to build the AutoBahn. The family tries to hold out for visas to leave together. There is a work visa to England for Jonas, 18 years old. He must go if [...]

by Dana Rosenbloom, M.S. Ed. We ask children approaching this milestone to consider their pasts: past actions, past decisions, past choices. We ask that they use these experiences to inform the lives they will lead going forward, as they become b’nai mitzvah and are responsible for their actions. So too does Early Childhood Educators of Reform Judaism, as we enter our 13th year. We are truly coming of age and solidifying our identity. Launched by the thought provoking text from Rabbi Meir, “Do not look at the jug, but what is in it” the board of the Early Childhood Educators [...]

It’s been a while since last I posted. Between some personal and professional travel and responsibilities at work, it hasn’t felt like there was a lot of time. But the truth is, I’ve procrastinated – a reversion to an old negative pattern which, for the most part, I’ve been able of late to keep at bay. I think the reason I couldn’t do so this time is because of the topic on which I knew I wanted to focus my next entry – the topic of control. I love control. I thrive on control. I have built my life on [...]

by Stuart Goldsmith The time:  Saturday morning March 4, 1961 The place:  An orthodox congregation in Washington Heights, New York This was the culmination of a wonderful, hectic family week.  On Wednesday, my parents celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary.  Yesterday my dad turned 50 and today it was my turn.  There I was, a 13 year old standing on the bimah with a complexion of various shades of green chanting the brachot and the required three verses of parashat Ki Tissa, followed by the third longest Haftorahin the liturgy -  all 39 verses.  It was my bar mitzvah.  After services [...]