Women Silenced. Women Singing.
Shalom Haverim, At the recent march of world leaders in Paris, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, walked arm-in-arm with other heads of state. But you wouldn’t know it reading the hareidi...
View ArticleWhat I Am Reading
Shalom Haverim, Given my job, you might think that I read a lot. The truth is I barely make it through the Sunday newspaper. I have subscriptions to weekly papers, The New York Jewish Week and The...
View ArticleDomestic Abuse
Shalom Haverim, According to statistics, 1 in 4 Jewish women across all religious denominations and economic levels will experience some form of physical, sexual, verbal, emotional and/or psychological...
View ArticleJewish Canaries
Shalom Haverim, I have enjoyed the past week on vacation with my family in Chicago. We have taken in the sites and frequented kosher restaurants and markets. One day, we visited the Museum of Science...
View ArticleBursting Your Bubble
Shalom Haverim, Listen close, listen hard, the tale of Violet Beauregarde. This dreadful girl she sees no wrong… Chewing, chewing, chewing, chewing, chewing, chewing all day long. She chewed while...
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Fasting for “Chained Women”
Happy Purim! This week I taught a class in the art gallery of the Sabes JCC about agunot – women chained to their husbands who are unable to get a divorce. The class was held in conjunction with a...
View ArticleWho Speaks for the Jewish People
Who Speaks for the Jewish People? Shabbat Zakhor Titzaveh 2/28/15 Shabbat Shalom, I was walking though the hallways this week and an Aleph Preschool child pointed at me and called out, “hey, it’s...
View ArticleBeth El Streams
Haverim, Recently, I was meeting with a family to plan an upcoming bat mitzvah. With all the excitement, there was also some disappointment. The bat mitzvah’s grandmother just had surgery and will not...
View ArticleShabbat Lunch – More than a Buffet
Ki Tisa- Vishamru (February 2015) AA: (sing) Vishamru AD: Cantor Abrams, Cantor Abrams, what are you doing? AA: Oh, do you prefer a different tune? Ok. Vishamru… AD: No that’s not what I mean. AA: You...
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“The Pesah Bunny”
Shalom Haverim, This year there will be a rabbit at my seder. No, I am not serving it. Rabbits are not kosher. Instead, this rabbit helps tell seder of the seder, the order of the seder. Here is what I...
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Entering Anew
Shalom Haverim, Walk in to Beth El and you will see something new. Above the main door is a Hebrew quote inscribed on the windows. Choosing that quote required a magnifying glass and a bit of...
View ArticleOur Kid Friendly Shul
Shalom Haverim, I love having kids in shul. I know you do too. Some people have told me that their favorite part of services is when kids fill the bimah at the end of tefilot. It hasn’t always been...
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Inviting Lincoln to Your Seder
Shalom Haverim, This week, I have defrosted my freezer, cleaned out cupboards and wiped down shelves to get ready for Pesah. But as I often say, we have to prepare our hearts and minds as much as we...
View ArticleA Downton Abbey Seder
Shalom Haverim Over the years, I have become a fan of the PBS series, Downton Abbey. I enjoy following the simple drama of the characters and learning about life in early, 20th century England. But my...
View ArticleRabbi Davis’ Pesah Yizkor Sermon About Love
George was a thoughtful husband. He wanted to give his wife something special for her birthday which was coming up soon. As he sat on the edge of the bed, he watched his wife turning back and forth and...
View ArticleA Message from Poland
Shalom Haverim, I am writing to you from Poland. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I ended up accompanying Cantor Abram’s tour of Eastern Europe. While it is a lovely group and fun to travel with them,...
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Unlocking the Door
Shalom Haverim, Just around the corner from our Prague hotel is the Jerusalem Synagogue. Located in the new town, it is not part of the usual tour of synagogues in the city’s old town. Still, I...
View ArticleReflecting on Baltimore and Katmandu
Aharei Mot-K’doshim 5-2-15 I looked at the scroll searching for a familiar phrase. Then I spied it: “vaydaber hashem el moshe leimor aharei mot b’nai ahron.” “Ahh. I know where we are,” I thought to...
View ArticleThe Antidote to Affluenza
Shabbat Shalom Have any of you every tried to find a contact lens that fell on the ground? I remember many times searching the bathroom floor when my sister was first learning to put them in. Well, a...
View ArticleOne Wall
Shabbat Shalom I want to invite you to take a moment to draw to mind a picture of the Kotel, the Western Wall. Bring that image to mind and hold on to it for a moment. When I think of the Kotel, many...
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