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Sahar Oz

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

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Sahar Oz

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

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Sahar Oz

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

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Sahar Oz

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

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Sahar Oz

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 —

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Sahar Oz

The State of the Synagogue 5787

Yom Kippur 5787 by Neil Cohen, Synagogue President Rabbi, Hazzan, dear members and guests, on behalf of the lay leadership of Society Hill Synagogue, I wish you Shanah Tovah and G’mar Tov. It is an honor and a pleasure to address you today. For those of you who don’t know

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