A Time for Wailing, A Time for Dancing

These verses from Ecclesiastes come to me in this moment that feels like both “a time for wailing and a time for dancing.”
A time for dancing because, after 15 months of war, hostages will be reunited with their families, rockets — at least between Israel and Hamas — will stop firing, families will return to their hometowns. Peace, albeit limited, tentative, and fragile, will reign.
Hebrew School Teacher — Part Time
Society Hill Synagogue is seeking Hebrew School teachers for multiple classes between PreK-7th Grade. Our teachers are dynamic Jewish educators excited about helping to inspire a new generation of Jewish learners. Our Ann Spak Thal Hebrew School grounds students’ experiences in Jewish text, tradition, and community. Our vibrant school immerses children and adolescents in the […]
Israel and Community, and the California Fires

by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar I’d like to share a reflection flowing out of a monthly course I’m teaching here at Society Hill Synagogue on Zionism: Understanding The Yearnings For A Jewish State. For the moment, I don’t want to get hung up on defining the word “Zionism;” people often mean different things when they invoke […]
What exactly is a miracle?

by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar I’m writing to wish you all a healthy and happy Hanukkah season, this Festival of Lights, and to share with you some reflections that I offered this past Shabbat on the question: what is a nes — Hebrew for miracle? What do we mean when we invoke the existence of miracles […]
It’s Just Us

by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar We need your help. When I first applied to rabbinical school back in 2013, operating as I was from something of the periphery of the Jewish community, I did not imagine that, post-rabbinical school, I would be the rabbi of a synagogue. The conventional wisdom at the time (and in some […]