Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on March 29, 2022

CANTON Retired Temple Israel Rabbi Jon Adlandwill no longer havean active rolewith thecongregation following a report investigatingallegations of sexual misconductthat took place inthe 1970s when hewas a rabbinical student.

The complaints stem from a national reportcommissioned by the Union for Reform Judaism to investigate accusations of sexual harassment, abuse and misconduct at itsworkplaces, summer camps,programming and youth programmingstretching back decades.

The Union for Reform Judaism encompasses more than 800 congregations. Reform Judaismis the largest branch of the faith in the U.S.

Rabbi David Komerofsky, Temple Israel's current leader, said Adland has relinquished the title of "emeritus" in connection with the synagogue.

Adland served Temple Israel from 2011 until he retired in 2019. He succeeded Rabbi Leah Herz.

"He's no longer formally connected to Temple Israel," Komerofsky said. "The emeritus status was honorary. Our congregation is investigating the processes that led to where we are now. We are committed to ensuring that anyone who has information to share about any inappropriate interaction with Rabbi Adland will have a safe and reliable way to do so. ... My commitment to the congregation is, I want transparency."

Adland declined to comment when contacted by the Canton Repository.

In the 126-page report released Feb. 17,the Debevoise & Plimpton law firm, which conducted the investigation, describesthe complaints about the Union for Reform Judaism as "serious and credible."

Investigators say they uncovered a "boundary-crossing culture"in which people were pressured to engage insexual activity and feared retaliation if they complained;a murky ethics structure;and unclear hiring standards as they pertained to rabbis.

Investigators interviewed 168 people. The complaints were made bymales and females. They included17 complaintsinvolving minors and adults,16 incidents involvingpeers under 18, and 39 cases involving adults stretching over the last 50 years.

More than 500,000 young adults and children participated in URJ-sponsored camps and events.

According to the report, the URJ has made changes recommended by the report to improve how it operates, from strengthening its training and screening process, to establishing clear policies for consensual relationship between adults, to making information aboutits policies more accessible.

Though dozens of rabbis were investigated,Adland is one of only four specifically namedin the report.

Investigators said they fielded three complaints of alleged sexual misconduct involving Adland and three girls under 16 at a camp in the summer of 1977 when he was a 23-year-old rabbinical student. Adland acknowledged being at the camp in 1977but told investigatorshe didn'trecall engaging in any such misconduct.

The report notes that inmany cases, victims who complained about misconduct resulted in the alleged perpetrator being fired. However, one of the alleged victims told investigatorsshe reported Adland's behavior to a female camp counselor andnothing was done.

Adland told the investigatorsthat he was ashamed that he may have acted unethically,and apologized for any harm he might have caused. He also informedinvestigators that he was the subject ofan ethics investigation in 2018 conductedby the Central Conference of America Rabbis, a rabbinic leadership organizationamid allegationsof improper conduct between him and a 14-year-old girl some time between 2005 and 2010.

The organization found the accusation credible and censured Adland, who is prohibited by the organization from working with minors. Adland also informed investigators that he underwent a "teshuva" or repentance process.

Thenative of Chevy Chase, Maryland, was ordained in 1982. He is a graduate ofgraduate of Washington University in St. Louis and theHebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati,where he alsoearned a master's degree.

Prior to Canton, he served in Indianapolis and Lexington, Kentucky.While in Stark County, Adland has been involved in a number of causes and organizations, including Planned Parenthood, Habitat for Humanity East Central Ohio, the governng board of Goodwill Industries, and the GreaterCanton Martin Luther King Jr. Commission.

Itis unclear if any legal action couldbe taken. In most states, the statute of limitations for filing criminal charges is 20 years.

Komerofsky noted that none of the allegations are connected to Adland's tenure in Canton,buturged anyone with a complaint to come forward. Any complaints, he said, will beinvestigated by an independent third party.

Temple Israel, Komerofsky said, is working with Adland'stwo previous congregations, the Union of Reform Judaism and theCentral Conference of America Rabbis to ensure that anyone who needs to report information can do so.

Temple Israel has posted the information on its website athttps://templeisraelcanton.org/

"I hope there is nothing else to be shared," he said.

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @cgoshayREP

Excerpt from:

Retired Rabbi Jon Adland part of investigation for sexual ...

Category: Rabbi | Comments Off on Retired Rabbi Jon Adland part of investigation for sexual …
Tags:

Posted By admin on March 29, 2022

Even before it got underway, the Haredim (ultra-Orthodox) marketed the funeral of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky as the funeral of the million. In the end, fewer than half a million came. They also said the masses would come in honor of the minister of Torah, but along with the honor, the masses also attended a political funeral.

They wanted to prove that they still wield power, even when they are outside the coalition. They wanted to tell Prime Minister Naftali Bennett: Watch your step, look how many people we can get out into the street, so put a stop to the decrees being planned by Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Religious Affairs Minister Matan Kahana we can bring you down.

And in fact, Lieberman was able to pass the military conscription law on the preliminary vote, and the Haredim are afraid that in the new reality, a 21-year-old yeshiva student may be released from the bonds of the kollel (yeshiva for married men) and embark on an independent life of work and study. Lieberman also wants to limit the subsidies for afternoon child care, day care centers and property taxes to families with two working parents, which is another blow.

Kahana is also causing them nightmares. He is a courageous, revolutionary minister of religious affairs, one who has passed important reforms on conversion and kashrut that hit the wheeler-dealers in their soft underbellies: their power to hand out government jobs. He even dismantled the huge Shas job industry in the religious councils, and for the first time, women were elected to managerial positions in the councils, heaven forbid.

The funeral was also a demonstration of cultural strength. The Haredim wanted us to concede and adopt their belief that what is really essential is the endless study of Torah and Talmud.

As far as theyre concerned, the state exists thanks to the cheders (ultra-Orthodox elementary schools) and the yeshiva students, although it is easy to prove that it exists thanks to the secular community, who work hard, pay taxes and serve in the army.

Just look at the undercover soldiers who halted the murder campaign in Hadera. But as far as the Haredim are concerned, it is God who fights from above, and secular Jews are nothing more than a foreign government, as in the diaspora, which should be exploited as much as possible.

A few years ago, Bet Shemesh's Shas members wanted to divide the city in two and build themselves a Haredi city. Eli Yishai, then-leader of Shas, was furious: Are you crazy? he roared at them. Who will pay the property tax and fund all the city services, if there are no secular people in the city?

Theres no problem with the Haredim living according to their belief, on condition they dont try to force anything on the secular community, whether on kashrut, or Shabbat or marriage. Another condition is that we wont have to finance them.

And thats precisely the complaint against Rabbi Kanievsky. He preached in favor of Torah study, and thats fine, but he also preached against wasting time on mathematics, history and English, and even spoke against going out to work and doing army service, which are genuinely anti-Jewish statements.

Maimonides said: Whoever thinks he will study Torah and not work and be supported from charity, profanes Gods Name and shames the Torah All Torahstudywithout workwill result in waste and causesinfulness. The end of such a person is that he will steal from others to sustain himself.

Rabbi Kanievsky drew his strength from the fact that he sat throughout his life and studied verses. He was not a rosh yeshiva (head of a yeshiva), not the president of the Council of Torah Sages and not an arbiter of halakha (Jewish religious law). He was considered a miracle worker, which is a strange, mystical Judaism. His status as a miracle worker was forged when in 1991 he said that the missiles from Iraq wouldnt fall on Bnei Brak, and they did in fact fall on neighboring Ramat Gan a matter of luck. But from that time on he was considered a miracle worker whose blessings are fulfilled, and if not, the disappointed ones simply remain silent.

In circles close to the rabbis home, they laugh at secular people and liken them to the Wise Men of Chelm. One day a hole was created in the town bridge, but instead of repairing it, the Wise Men of Chelm built a hospital next to the bridge, to treat the injured who fell. Thats true of secular people, who spend their days working hard and doing dangerous service in the army, instead of attending to the problem from its foundation: repenting, studying Torah, observing Shabbat, and then the Messiah will come and there wont be any more wars in the world, nor will there be poverty and deprivation, so nobody will have to work or serve in the army. Go argue with false beliefs and vain imaginings.

Read more:

The politics of Rabbi Kanievsky's funeral - Haaretz

Category: Rabbi | Comments Off on The politics of Rabbi Kanievsky’s funeral – Haaretz
Tags:

Posted By admin on March 29, 2022

A Rabbis Take on Faith and Identity

Julia Watts Belser grew up with a deep spiritual life but her identity as a queer, disabled woman meant she often felt profoundly out of sync with the ways most people talked about religion.

I came of age in a time where it felt ubiquitous to hear religious voices on the news, in politics, being actively hostile to queer lives and to queer love, says Belser. And that shaped me, that shaped me indelibly.

Despite this tension or perhaps, because of it Belser is now a rabbi, a scholar of rabbinic Jewish culture, and an associate professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies. She complements her studies of ancient Jewish religious texts with works by feminist, queer and disabled authors finding inspiration and divinity in these modern texts, too.

Recognizing that other canon of fierce folk who have been working to bring about a vision of justice and liberation thats deeply intersectional, that has asked me to widen and deepen my own understandings thats Torah for me, says Belser. I would describe myself as a person whos beholden to and committed to multiple worlds.

As a scholar, Belser works at the intersection of these worlds to trace long legacies of violence and injustice. She is the author of Rabbinic Tales of Destruction: Gender, Sex, and Disability in the Ruins of Jerusalem and Power, Ethics, and Ecology: Rabbinic Responses to Drought and Disaster, which grapple with questions of gender, sexuality, disability and environmental vulnerability in ancient Jewish culture.

But her work also brings Jewish texts into conversation with the work of gender justice, disability justice and environmental justice. She teaches undergraduate courses like Disability, Ethics, EcoJustice, Religion and Disability Studies and Judaism and Gender.

One of the things I love about Georgetown is that I feel I dont have to split apart the different strands of my life and my commitments, says Belser. Georgetown has given me the opportunity to bring ethical questions into the very center of my scholarship. Its also made me feel that my scholarly work, my teaching, my work in the community is a lot more integrated.

Belser is currently building a digital archive on disability and climate change, working in close partnership with her undergraduate students to document and chronicle the work of disability activists, artists, policymakers and first responders who are grappling with climate disruption.

Her work aims to illuminate the particular vulnerability that disabled people face during climate disruption and to lift up the particular wisdom and expertise that disabled people bring to climate mitigation and community resilience.

Disability is a masterclass in the practice of adaptation, Belser says. This is a place where disabled folks have some hard-won advanced insights.

For Belser, working in close partnership with students through the process of documenting these stories has been an extraordinary opportunity to help students engage deeply with questions about power, inequality and activism. The work builds on a long legacy within environmental justice movements one that helps catalyze grassroots community engagement.

Our students are such a source of vivid, powerful, tangible hope for me, says Belser. We spend a lot of time thinking about power and inequality both tracking violence, but also reimagining possibility. And doing that with students is one of the most potent antidotes to despair that I have in my repertoire.

Belsers ability to imagine a more equitable world an ability she is passing on to her students stems in part from her faith. But her faith has not just impacted her orientation toward justice. Her conception of justice has informed how she interprets her Jewish tradition, too.

I think of religious traditions as a mixed heritage, as an ambivalent inheritance, says Belser. We are not simply subjects of our traditions. Were also the active shapers of what these traditions will be and might mean in the future that were building.

As a summer intern at a large law firm, Amy Uelmen (C90, L93, SJD16) remembers looking out the window from the 34th floor of a Manhattan skyscraper.

I remember looking down at the whole city and being overwhelmed by the extent to which the whole place was corrupted by the influence of money on systems of power, she says.

Uelmen was researching products liability, and in doing so, began to realize how much lobbying influenced the constraints and content of the law. She felt conflicted.

Uelmen attended Georgetown Law after completing her undergraduate studies at Georgetown. Both her parents went to Georgetown, her older sister attended a Jesuit university and her father taught at a Jesuit law school We always had Jesuits around the house, she says.

Staring out this window, she wondered if she could reconcile her Catholic faith with a career in big law.

That planted a very deep question in me, says Uelmen. What are the moral questions that permeate legal work at the service of business? And is there any way to bring the insight of faith into these difficult questions?

What she found is that her worlds were not separate after all. In fact, her faith made her a better lawyer more ethical, more compassionate, more critical.

Faith is not just a personal refuge, a space to find comfort or insight or a place to go when youre struggling, says Uelmen. Faith is also a deeply critical lens on social, economic and cultural structures. Faith can help to magnify what is the impact on human beings of decisions and structures that are in place.

A triple Hoya, Uelmen is now a lecturer at Georgetown Law, where she also serves as director for Mission & Ministry and special advisor to the dean to further integrate Georgetowns mission and core values into the law school.

In my heart of hearts, Im a teacher, says Uelmen.

Uelmen has focused many of her efforts on diffusing polarization in the classroom to improve dialogue and build solutions across differences. She is the author of Five Steps to Positive Political Dialogue: Insights & Examples and co-author of Five Steps to Healing Polarization in the Classroom: Insights and Examples with Michael Kessler, her colleague at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs.

Uelmen recalls two students who sat next to each other in her Religion and the Work of a Lawyer seminar one set on becoming a defense attorney, the other a prosecutor. Both students practice in those areas today, carrying what they learned from each other about how theres not just one path toward justice.

You can bring the strength of your convictions and your commitment to justice and to making the world a better place, playing different roles within the system, and doing that well, says Uelmen. We need thoughtful, conscience-bound folks in every single area of practice.

To Uelmen, lawyers have a unique role to play in building a more just world given their abilities to identify and dismantle mechanisms of injustice. And faith can be an important guide for any lawyer to practice more critically and compassionately.

The work of justice calls us to dig into what are the systemic changes that we need to make, and to ask: What is the change of heart we need to pay attention to those areas where human dignity is not respected? says Uelmen. I think lawyers need to work out of a moral core of their own conviction and their own integrity, and pay close attention to what that moral core suggests.

Follow this link:

A Rabbi and a Lawyer Talk Tension, Power and Faith That Does Justice - Georgetown University

Category: Rabbi | Comments Off on A Rabbi and a Lawyer Talk Tension, Power and Faith That Does Justice – Georgetown University
Tags:

Posted By admin on March 29, 2022

Rabbi David Kaufman of Temple Shomer Emunim in Sylvania Township accused of rape and was arrested on March 11 by Sylvania Township police.

The rabbi had been employed by the temple since July 1, 2021, and previously was a Reform rabbi in Des Moines, Iowa. Following the news of his arrest, Kaufman was immediately terminated from his position at Temple Shomer Emunim in the Toledo suburb.

In a statement, temple leadership said it was informed by the police of the alleged conduct.

We have been advised that Rabbi David Kaufman is the subject of a criminal investigation, the statement reads. Therefore, his employment at Temple Shomer Emunim has been terminated effective immediately, due to the nature of the criminal charges. We have been advised by law enforcement that the alleged conduct did not take place on temple grounds and did not involve any member of the congregation.

The statement was signed by Dr. Jeanine Huttner, president, and Lynn Nusbaum, executive director of the temple.

Kaufman was arraigned March 11 in Sylvania Municipal Court and released after posting bond, which a judge set at $250,000. He is not to have any contact with the victim and cannot own, possess, use or carry any deadly weapons. Following his release, he was placed on house arrest with GPS tracking.

A preliminary hearing took place March 18 in which he waived his right to a preliminary exam. Kaufmans request to have GPS tracking ceased was denied and the case was bound over to Lucas County Court of Common Pleas.

Kaufman is represented by Ian Friedman of Friedman & Nemecek in Cleveland. Friedman shared the following statement with the Cleveland Jewish News:

When first confronted with the entirely unexpected allegation against him, Rabbi Kaufman immediately and fully cooperated with local authorities. In a rush to judgment, however, and without completing a thorough investigation, charges were prematurely filed in the Sylvania Municipal Court. We now look forward to having the case fairly vetted after all of the evidence is presented in the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas. Needless to say, a not guilty plea will be entered at the appropriate time.

Read the original here:

Toledo-area rabbi fired after being arrested in rape case - Cleveland Jewish News

Category: Rabbi | Comments Off on Toledo-area rabbi fired after being arrested in rape case – Cleveland Jewish News
Tags:

Posted By admin on March 29, 2022

David A. Alpert to be Appointed Lay Advisory Board Chairman of the North American Board of Rabbis (NABOR)

Appointment Slated for April 5th 2022 at 6:00PM at Temple Israel New Rochelle

1000 Pinebrook Boulevard, New Rochelle, New York

during

The Museum of Memorys Exhibition of The Assisi Project

NEW ROCHELLE, NY March 29, 2022 Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum, President of the North American Board of Rabbis (NABOR), is delighted to announce the appointment of David A. Alpert to serve as NABORs Lay Advisory Board Chairman. This appointment will take place April 5th 2022, at an exhibition curated by The Museum of Memory and presented by Temple Israel of New Rochelle, New York.

Rabbi Rosenbaum stated, Mr. Alpert has served for over fifty years on many distinguished boards on a local, national and international stage. I feel confident that Mr. Alpert will add immeasurably to the mission of NABOR, within the Jewish world and beyond. I am pleased that he has accepted this post.

David Alpert is a devoted leader of the American and International Jewish communities. He is the Senior Vice President of Riverside Memorial Chapel, and is actively involved in many philanthropic, civic and humanitarian organizations. David is the Vice-Chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee and served as Treasurer of the State Democratic Committee for 18 years. He played a prominent role in the dedication of the Jewish Chaplains Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. Through his efforts this memorial now stands on Chaplains Hill beside those of the Catholic and Protestant Chaplains who also gave their lives in service to our country.

David is a RIETS fellow at Yeshiva University and serves on its board of the Wurzweiller School of Social Work. He is a past member of the Board of Governors of Bnai Brith International, a past Chairman of the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center of Westchester, is an Honorary Director of the Westchester Jewish Council, and served on the Board of the International Synagogue at JFK International Airport. He was appointed by the Speaker of the New York Assembly, Stanley Fink, to the New York State Business Council.

The North American Board of Rabbis is one of the few remaining venues in the Jewish stream where rabbis from all branches of Judaism work together, finding unity in their diversity. Founded at the White House during the Clinton Administration, with First Lady/Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, NABOR is a force for inter-religious cooperation, addressing critical issues on a national and international scene, bringing together all people of goodwill, who share the philosophy that whatever happens to one person of faith anywhere happens to all people of faith everywhere.

On the eve of the pandemic, Rabbi Rosenbaum returned from meeting with Pope Francis as part of the delegation of world religious leaders from the Abrahamic and Eastern faiths, addressing the timely and pressing issue of theDignity of the Child in the Digital Age. Ploughing into these issues on many levels, including the grassroots level, of violence, anti-Semitism, systemic racism and prejudice of all kinds, our work is to erase the hate wherever it may be manifested. Furthermore, NABOR builds bridges of understanding between people of diverse cultures and nations.

For more information about The Assisi Project, please contact Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum, at 917-687-9640 or rabbijayrosenbaum@yahoo.com

# # #

Temple Israel of New Rochelle 1000 Pinebrook Boulevard New Rochelle, NY 10804 914-235-1800

# # #

SOURCE: Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum, President of the North American Board of Rabbis (NABOR)

Read more:

David A. Alpert to be Appointed Lay Advisory Board Chairman of the North American Board of Rabbis (NABOR) - Yonkers Tribune.

Category: Rabbi | Comments Off on David A. Alpert to be Appointed Lay Advisory Board Chairman of the North American Board of Rabbis (NABOR) – Yonkers Tribune.
Tags:

Posted By admin on March 29, 2022

Why do I have to complete a CAPTCHA?

Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property.

If you are on a personal connection, like at home, you can run an anti-virus scan on your device to make sure it is not infected with malware.

If you are at an office or shared network, you can ask the network administrator to run a scan across the network looking for misconfigured or infected devices.

Another way to prevent getting this page in the future is to use Privacy Pass. You may need to download version 2.0 now from the Firefox Add-ons Store.

Go here to read the rest:

Chabad Rabbi Murdered in Terrorist Attack in Beersheva - Rabbi Moshe Krivitski ran a Colel Chabad soup kitchen for more than 10 years - Chabad.org

Category: Rabbi | Comments Off on Chabad Rabbi Murdered in Terrorist Attack in Beersheva – Rabbi Moshe Krivitski ran a Colel Chabad soup kitchen for more than 10 years – Chabad.org
Tags:

Posted By admin on March 29, 2022

HonorsSam and Tzipi Tramiel

The Tramiel family of Palo Alto was honored March 30 at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museums 2022 Western Region Tribute event. The late Jack and Helen Tramiel were Holocaust survivors who were part of the museums Founders Society. Their children, including son Sam Tramiel and his wife, Tzipi Tramiel, have carried on their legacy, staying active with the museum and getting involved with the Jewish communities in the many places they have lived (including Toronto, Hong Kong, Japan and now Palo Alto). Sam has held executive positions at Commodore and Atari and is currently a partner in Tramiel Capital.

The new cookbook by our very own recipe columnist Faith Kramer, 52 Shabbats: Friday Night Dinners Inspired by a Global Kitchen, has been recognized by the PubWest Book Design Awards, which consider elements of design, photography and production. 52 Shabbats tied for a silver award in the cookbook category with Fantastic Fungi Community Cookbook.

Rabbi-Cantor Elana Rosen-Brown of Congregation Rodef Sholom in San Rafael has been selected for the Rukin Rabbinic Fellowship, run by 18Doors, an organization that provides resources for interfaith families. Rosen-Brown and 14 other rabbis from around the country have begun attending a series of workshops and professional development events that will help them deepen their practice of working with Jewish interfaith couples and parents of young children, according to the organization.

Zachary Libow is the new office and circulation manager for J. The Jewish News of Northern California. He has a masters degree in international peace and conflict resolution from American University in Washington, D.C., and has worked as a community organizer for the Democratic Majority for Israel and as an intern for the International Peace and Security Institute.

And Carrie Rice is J.s new development associate. She has worked in a variety of roles for Congregation Sherith Israel in San Francisco and as a consultant for nonprofits. She has a masters degree in public policy and womens studies from George Washington University, also in Washington, D.C.

The JCC of San Francisco announced two new executives. Larissa Siegel Solomon is the new chief development officer and Katie Quinn is the new chief program officer for family life. Solomon and Quinn both bring a proven track record of leadership and strategic thinking for Bay Area Jewish organizations to their new roles at the JCCSF, the center said in a press release. Solomon will spearhead the JCCSFs fundraising efforts, which enable a sustainable resource for the JCCSFs dynamic community programming, while providing opportunities for growth. [In her new role], Quinn leads the JCCSFs programs and experiences for kids as young as 6 months, all the way through high school. Solomon, a fifth-generation Bay Area native, recently served as Western region associate director for American Jewish World Service. Quinn was the CEO of The Kitchen, an independent synagogue in San Francisco, and before that was a Camp Tawonga associate director.

Maharat Victoria Sutton will leave Congregation Beth Israel in Berkeley in July after eight years as the Modern Orthodox synagogues director of education and community engagement. Her contributions will be celebrated at Beth Israels annual gala, May 29. Sutton, who was ordained as a maharat (liberal Orthodox female clergy), was the first woman to serve in a clergy role at an Orthodox synagogue in the Bay Area. Maharat Suttons work has made it clear to us the critical role that female clergy can play in the leadership of CBI, and has given us a taste of how much can be done to expand and enrich our programming, Rabbi Yonatan Cohen and synagogue president Daniel Magid wrote in an email announcing her departure. Added Sutton: It is with a mix of sadness, anticipation and a deep sense of fulfillment that I move on in my professional journey this summer. Although I dont know what comes next, I will carry the relationships and deep connections made over these eight years at Beth Israel with me always.

Noach Lawrence will be the next assistant rabbi at Temple Isaiah in Lafayette, following his rabbinic ordination at the New York campus of Hebrew Union College this spring. The rabbinate is a second career for Lawrence, who also has a J.D. degree from NYU School of Law. He first worked in politics, including the Israeli Supreme Court and U.S. Senate. Bringing a Jewish voice to societys broader conversations is a passion of Rabbi Lawrences, according to a release from Temple Isaiah. His writing can be found in CNN Opinion, Newsweek and the online interfaith publication Patheos. Lawrence is scheduled to start at Temple Isaiah on July 1, along with his fiancee, Dr. Katherine Roza, a geriatric and palliative care doctor.

Steve Brown has been promoted to the role of senior director of gift planning and endowments at the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation. He will work with major donors on planning gifts and will oversee more than 400 endowment funds that benefit Federation programs and a variety of local Jewish organizations. Brown came to Federation as part of the merger of the S.F.-based Federation and the Jewish Federation of the East Bay.

Laura Schiff is the new engagement manager at the Osher Marin JCC in San Rafael. She was previously the assistant director of the NuRoots Fellowship at the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. Schiff lives in Petaluma with her husband and kitten.

Paige Lincenberg of Mendocino is one of two inaugural rabbinic interns for Shefa, the Bay Areabased Jewish psychedelics organization founded by Rabbi Zac Kamenetz. She is a fifth-year rabbinical student at Aleph, the Jewish Renewal movements rabbinic ordination program, and also is working to complete Alephs Earth-Based Judaism certification. Lincenberg regularly leads services for East Baybased Wilderness Torah, Kol HaEmek in Mendocino and the Mendocino Coast Jewish Community.

JCC East Bay has three new board members. Josh Langenthal, a former chair of the board, serves on a number of Jewish boards and is a hedge fund investor and managing partner at the Batchery. Michael Zatkin, who manages commercial real estate and practices business law, attended the JCCs day camp as a toddler and now sends his own kids to JCC programs. And Midori Antebi, who was born and raised in Japan and has worked with Peace Corps volunteers in Southeast Asia, has previously held leadership positions at the East Bay Federation and Contra Costa Jewish Day School.

Matthew Nouriel of Los Angeles is the new program coordinator of the Bay Area-based JIMENA Jews Indigenous to North Africa and the Middle East. Nouriel is a content creator and digital activist of Iranian Jewish descent, according to an email to the JIMENA community. They have previously worked with JDC Entwine, JQ International, the Tel Aviv Institute and others.

JIMENA also has five new board members: Adi Horn of San Carlos is manager of digital experiences at Apple and has mixed Ashkenazi and Moroccan Jewish heritage; Paul Geduldig is CEO at the JCCSF and previously served at the Peninsula JCC and Temple Sinai in Oakland; Nadav Baiati is the executive director of cybersecurity solutions at Lenovo and is involved in the Israeli venture capital community; Sia Kordestani is the West Coast director of Friends of the European Leadership Network, which works to strengthen Europe-Israel relations, and previously worked for American Jewish Committee and as a congressional staffer; and Vicky Tsur of Mountain View, born and raised in London by Bahraini parents, is a Jewish studies teacher at Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School and learning-and-prayer coordinator at Congregation Etz Chayim, both in Palo Alto.

Three new members have been elected to Sinai Memorial Chapels board: Darren Kottle,Yael Biederman GalinsonandMarc Roth. The organization also has a new president,Harmon Schragge (who is also a member of J.s board), and a new treasurer,Joan Laguatan.

The Urban Adamah Fellowship is now accepting applications for its fall 2022 session, which runs Sept. 19 to Nov. 20. The two-month residential program for adults ages 21 to 30 focuses on organic farming and Jewish learning at the urban farm in Berkeley. Sign up at urbanadamah.org/fellowship.

Original post:

Honors, comings & goings, opportunities March 2022 J. - The Jewish News of Northern California

Category: Rabbi | Comments Off on Honors, comings & goings, opportunities March 2022 J. – The Jewish News of Northern California
Tags:

Posted By admin on March 29, 2022

These are exciting days at United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston. On Feb. 27, the UOS board officially ratified a three-year contract for Rabbi Yitzchak (Yitzy) Sprung to serve as synagogue rabbi of the largest Modern Orthodox synagogue about 300 families in the Southwest.

The board also named Doreen Lerner to serve as UOS president. And, with construction of the synagogues new building set to get underway, the future is now. The new building will house a sanctuary, overflow room, beit midrash and daily minyan chapel.

Rabbi Sprung became UOS interim rabbi in August 2021, after longtime Rabbi Barry Gelman left to become the director of Jewish Living and Learning at the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center. Rabbi Sprung, his wife Tiferet and his three children moved here from Skokie, Ill., where he was assistant rabbi at Congregation Or Torah.

When I first came here, I knew the shul was a warm community, Rabbi Sprung told the JHV. Its turned out to be a hundred times warmer than I expected. The vibrancy and growth at the shul have been off the charts. This community has exceeded all my expectations.

I feel happy with the process weve put in place here. More people are coming to the events and classes we hold. More people are volunteering to serve on committees. I feel Im in a wonderful partnership with amazing people. Were very blessed.

Rabbi Sprung has a number of role models who have shaped him over the years. First, was Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (zl).

I didnt know him personally, but he was a role model. As a teacher of Torah, he was the best. I frequently visit the Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust website (rabbisacks.org).

And, theres my family, he continued. Our family business is Torah education. My grandfather was rosh yeshiva at Ner Israel [Rabbinical College] in Baltimore. The yeshiva was founded by my great-grandfather. My father was a pulpit rabbi for 40 years. My mother worked in Jewish education for 30 years.

On my moms side, there were rabbis and teachers for about 1,000 years, as traced back by my sister.

Im not a particularly rebellious person but I went to Bar Ilan University thinking I would be a lawyer. Once I got there, I found that I really wanted to be learning Torah instead of case law. I love being with people and thats part of my religious experience. I also strive to make Torah real in practice. Torah is something that we live by, not something abstract.

According to Rabbi Sprung, one of the major lessons of the rabbinate and close relationships of any kind is that life is a high-stakes game.

At Mount Sinai, G-d makes a deal with the Jewish people: You will be a holy people, a kingdom of priests. The priests job is to be a model: to do the right things, be upright and have a relationship with G-d. If you do things the right way, you will be a compelling model.

We are like the kohanim. We have to treat people with chesed and have a strong relationship with Hashem. We should be grateful for the positive things we have in life: living well, having a family, close friends and relatives. If we are honest with ourselves, thats the stuff we have to cherish.

Its so much better to be part of a loving community. We get to raise each other up, to learn from each other.

The new UOS president chaired the synagogues Transition Committee, which looked at evaluating Rabbi Sprung. Lerner told the JHV she is very happy that the synagogue hired Rabbi Sprung.

Of course, there was a process, but it was an easy decision to move forward with the process. Everybody was on board, said Lerner. He is so bright and learned. His divrei Torah are well-received. Hes developed programs and classes in Torah and Yiddishkeit. When he gives a shiur, he is able to weave material from multiple sources, including non-Jewish sources, as well. Hes a very positive and upbeat person who loves to share his knowledge of Torah.

Everybody has been happy with his pastoral care, continued Lerner, Whether its bikkur holim or helping people deal with loss, he clearly cares about people. He built relationships with people quickly. His children became part of the community. They made a very easy transition from Skokie to here. Were happy with what the future holds under his leadership.

Follow this link:

The future is now at UOS: Houston Modern Orthodox shul has new rabbi, new president and new building in the works - Jewish Herald-Voice

Category: Rabbi | Comments Off on The future is now at UOS: Houston Modern Orthodox shul has new rabbi, new president and new building in the works – Jewish Herald-Voice
Tags:

Posted By admin on March 29, 2022

As the holiday of Pesach approaches, my thoughts turn to war-torn Ukraine. One of the four names that Passover is referred to is Zman Cherutenu the Time of our Freedom. What type of freedom are the people of Ukraine experiencing now? For those who remain in their country with the terrifying sounds of shelling, gunshots and explosions, and for the refugees, many left their homes with little more than the shirt on their backs.

I have a very special colleague, Rabbi Mendy Glitzenshtein. He is the Chabad Shliach and Rabbi of the Jewish community of the western Ukranian city of Chernivtsi. After the bombing of Ukranian cities began, Rabbi Glitzenshtein and his wife helped thousands of people as they were evacuating the country, through the nearby border of Romania. They were there, providing food, shelter, medications for the refugees as they ran away from their war-torn country.

Among the evacuees were his own family. You may have seen the photo of his daughters holding baby dolls in their hands, and kissing goodbye to the mezuzah on their front door.

The Rabbi left with his family, with just a tiny portion of their worldly possessions.

His family settled in safety, Rabbi Mendy has since returned to Chernivtsi, going against the tide. Thousands exiting Ukraine, and he is one of the very, very few to enter. What would possess him to return to his war-ravaged country? He came back to take care of his community. A community lovingly built over 20 years. While many were able to leave, many were forced to remain for various reasons. So he returned. To celebrate Purim with what is left of the community, and to oversee Pesach preparations, as he has done for the past 20 years.

He couldnt imagine the community that he has built and led remaining without the joy of Purim, and the holiday of Pesach.

Surely it would be easier for Rabbi Mendy to remain with his family and wait out the war. Surely he has done enough, rescuing and assisting thousands of people fleeing for their lives, paid his dues Yet there he is, back in Ukraine, in the hot bed of war, to be there for his people.

It makes me think of Moses, our fearless leader who led us out of Egypt. Saved by Pharaohs daughter Batya, as he was floating in his little basket in the Nile, Moshe grew up in the palace.

Pained to see his brothers suffer at the hand of the slave masters, Moshe risked his life to save a Jewish man being beaten, and then had to run away to escape Pharoahs wrath.

Moshe ran to Midian. You could call him an Egyptian refugee. He married in Midian, and began a family. Have you ever thought about Moshe returning to the hot bed of slavery, pain and discomfort? Surely it would have been easier and more comfortable for him to remain with his wife, children and extended family that lived in Midian. Surely he had paid his dues, had a difficult childhood and could live the rest of his life in peace?

Moshe returned to Egypt, unable to leave his brothers and sisters suffering without him doing his utmost to help and indeed lead them to freedom. Its because he returned that the story unfolds, G-ds miracles that ensued, that secured our freedom!

Its in times like this that we see true heroes. Heroes who are human like you and I who rise above and beyond the call of duty to, give, feed, support and be there in any way possible for a brother (or sister) in need.

While we are not called upon to be heroes of this magnitude, there are times we need to dig deep, and rise above our comfort level or expectations to be there for our fellow. With leaders like this, we know we can prevail!

Chag Sameach may we celebrate our true freedom with the coming of Moshiach, which will usher in an era of complete peace and safety, world over!

The Rabbinically Speaking column is provided as a public service by the Jewish Press. Columns are assigned on a rotating basis by the Pinellas County Board of Rabbis. The views expressed in this guest column are those of the rabbi and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Jewish Press or the Board of Rabbis.

Read more from the original source:

Going against the tide - jewishpresspinellas

Category: Rabbi | Comments Off on Going against the tide – jewishpresspinellas
Tags:

Posted By admin on March 29, 2022

Tampa man travels to Poland to aid refugees, Page 18.

An interfaith community vigil in Ukraine was held via Zoom on Monday, March 14, with a variety of Pinellas County clergy offering prayers and songs for peace and a presentation on aid to citizens fleeing the Russian invasion.

The Jewish Federation of Floridas Gulf Coast sponsored the prayer vigil with the support of the Pinellas County Board of Rabbis.

The bulk of the participants were from the local Jewish community. Rabbi Danielle Upbin, the Federations community educator and associate rabbi at Congregation Beth Shalom in Clearwater, was the driving force behind the hastily organized program, reflecting the desire to respond spiritually to the quickly escalating war.

In introducing the first speaker, Federation Executive Director Maxine Kaufman said the online gathering, which attracted viewers on 70 Zoom screens, was being held for two reasons:

First, we gather with prayers and ask for Gods assistance to help the Ukrainian people, to bring peace to the world and this war-stricken region, Kaufman said, Second to update us on what is happening on the ground in Ukraine and how the dollars donated for this emergency crisis are being and will be used

Shani Turel, a Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) representative, gave an update on the actions taken by the agency in Ukraine. JAFI has set up centers at the Ukrainian borders in Hungary, Moldova, Poland, and Romania. There, volunteers are providing aid to Ukrainians interested in escaping to Israel. Since the beginning of this war, over 18 days, 28,000 calls have been made to these centers, Turel said.

Rabbi Philip Weintraub, leader of Congregation Bnai Israel in St. Petersburg and the president of the Pinellas Board of Rabbis, likened the war in Ukraine to Purim, which was celebrated later in the week, and tells the story of how Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai saved the Jews living in Persia from the murderous scheming of Haman.

The Russian invasion is a reminder of how one persons impetus for violence can lead to oppression, hate, and pain, he said. And I hope that we see the end of Haman. Not just in the time of Purim, not just in Persia, but in all times, and in all places.

Rabbi Weintraub noted that Ukraine was once a hub of modern Jewry. Its sad to see families and people leave a home, a life, that they must leave behind. May the one who brings peace to one, bring peace to all people, and that we soon see peace in this world.

Rabbi Matt Berger of Temple Ahavat Shalom in Palm Harbor reminded the vigils viewers that thousands of Jews remaining in Ukraine are survivors or descendants of victims of the Holocaust. For their sake we say Never Again will the world stand idly by.

Pastor Bob Hill of Hope Presbyterian Church asked those assembled to also pray for Russian President Vladimir Putin and those who have instigated the violence. We are heartbroken there is still such hate and violence in the world. he said. We pray for change of heart.

Cantor Jonathan Schultz of Congregation Bnai Israel in St. Petersburg sang Shalom Raav, a blessing for abundant peace, and Rabbi David Weizman of Congregation Beth Shalom in Clearwater recited a prayer for peace between nations.

A photograph of Earth from space was shared by Rev. Dr. Leddy Hammock of Unity Church of Clearwater. The image, the first photograph of Earth from space, she said, represented a hope for humanity to recognize that peace and love are the only ways to exist on Earth. Rev. Leddy quoted Peace Pilgrim, a walking activist of the 1960s, We are all cells in the same body of humanity. The way of peace is the way of love. Love is the greatest power on earth.

Rabbi Upbin told the online gathering that while prayers have their place, participating only in spiritual action is not enough. She urged the group to act by donating to organizations like JAFI.

Turel spoke of JAFIs work on the ground, reuniting families. At a border center run by JAFI, halfsisters who had never met found one another while waiting for their flight to Israel.

Many Ukrainians are not so lucky as the sisters who made it to safety. Homes, businesses, schools, and places of worship have been destroyed by Russian bombs and shelling.

Local vocal artist Fred Johnson, a sacred chanter and advocate of the healing power of music, offered a chant that the energy of our knowingness repel evil and bring peace.

Other Jewish clergy who participated were: Rabbi Joshua Lobel and Cantor Katie Oringel, both of Temple Bnai Israel in Clearwater; and Rabbi Jenn Mangold and Joyce Liu, cantorial soloist, both of Temple Beth El in St. Petersburg. Additional participants were: Sue Riley, Unity Church minister of music; and Kamran Rouhani, Bahai faith leader of Garden of Rivdan, Clearwater.

Read more from the original source:

Interfaith prayers offered for peace in Ukraine - jewishpresspinellas

Category: Rabbi | Comments Off on Interfaith prayers offered for peace in Ukraine – jewishpresspinellas
Tags: