From the CEO

Yom Kippur Hunger Appeal

In synagogues, there is a Yom Kippur practice of encouraging congregants to financially support a Regional Food Bank Hunger Appeal. This year, I was asked if Federation could also help with the effort and try to reach those who will not hear a request from a bimah.

Through an allocation to …

Ben & Jerry’s

I like ice cream. My health professionals would argue that I probably like ice cream a little more than I should, and it is much to their chagrin that I am able to walk into any ice cream parlor or grocery of my choosing and enjoy my favorite frozen dairy treat. And so, it is from this compl…

Kotel Crisis

Last Saturday night, non-Orthodox worshipers were commemorating Tisha B’Av with prayers in the egalitarian section of the Kotel when they were disrupted by a group of extremists. Tuesday’s email filled you in on the situation.

This Kotel crisis neatly threaded together the themes of a f…

Welcome Rabbis

This week, on behalf of our larger non-rabbinic Jewish community, I had the pleasure of welcoming our two newest pulpit rabbis, Rabbi Danielle Weisbrot of Congregation B’nai Sholom and Rabbi Ben Kean of Congregation Beth Abraham-Jacob. (Note: Rabbi Ami Monson, our new community chaplain th…

Perspective

We had family visiting from Florida last week. They were totally unimpressed with our heatwave. In fact, they made fun of us every time my phone beeped with a new alert from the weather app encouraging us to stay safe.

85° is 85°. Whether we consider 85° comfortable or not is a matter of…