Israel’s Election and The Courage to Be a Beginner
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Of course, not everyone who receives emails from a synagogue is necessarily interested in political developments in Israel. For some of us, our relationship to our Judaism or to synagogue life is primarily religious or spiritual in nature. For others, it may be social: we seek a place to celebrate Jewish holidays, […]
Sara Schwartz Chrismer’s Kallat Bereshit Speech 5787
Thank you Fran, for that wonderful introduction. It was through Fran, Jeremey, and the girls that we came to Society Hill Synagogue, just over 15 years ago. Fran has been a mentor and friend for almost two decades. She is the consummate servant leader — the embodiment of everything good at the School District of […]
Bruce Hirsch’s Hatan Torah Speech 5787
Good evening, and thank you, Avi, for your heartwarming introduction. I want to thank the committee for this great honor. I’d like to share a bit of my Jewish background. It shaped my connection to Judaism throughout my life. I grew up in a Jewish neighborhood in Chicago. We belonged to a traditional synagogue. My […]
A Shared Sense of Responsibility
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Dear friends, On Wednesday I bore witness to mourning and remembrance of the horrific events of October 7, 2023, the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage, igniting a conflagration of war, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands more in […]
Sukkot and the Wildness We’ve Forgotten
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Dear friends, I hope you’ll join us Saturday night, October 3 for a rousing Simhat Torah! This is one of the high points of the Jewish year: dinner and drinks, festive dancing with the Torah scrolls, flags waving throughout the sanctuary by people of all ages — it is essentially the culmination […]