Why I’ve Come to Love the Annual Meeting
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Annual Meeting season is upon us. (Have five more exciting words in the English language ever been written?) While perhaps not something we’ve often imagined as part of the sacred cycle of the Jewish year, I have come to experience the Congregation Annual Meeting as a sterling expression of Jewish community. […]
The Gates are Always Open
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Shavuot is upon us, one of three festivals, along with Sukkot and Pesah, during which, in ancient times, Jewish pilgrims from all over the region would travel to Jerusalem, bringing the best of their flock or their harvest as an offering to the Holy One, as gratitude for the continued blessings […]
Seek the Welfare of the City — and Vote on Tuesday
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Jewish tradition has long taught of the sacredness of engaging with matters beyond what today we would define as falling within a strictly religious sphere. In the Book of Jeremiah, for example, the prophet, channeling the Divine word, tells us “דִרְשׁוּ אֶת־שְׁלוֹם הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר הִגְלֵיתִי אֶתְכֶם,” “Dirshu et-shlom ha’ir […]
God Couldn’t Wait, Either
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar We are thrilled to announce the hiring of Alexis Rosen as our new Manager of Community Engagement and Communications! Many of you may know Alexis as the outgoing co-chair of the Young Friends at Society Hill Synagogue, which brings together 20- and 30-somethings — singles and couples — for Shabbat dinners, holiday celebrations, […]
The Power of “We”
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar While we live in a world in which there is a never-ending stream of news — stories from around the globe that could consume our attention — a stream that can numb us to what is taking place around us, it is important that we not allow ourselves to feel that […]