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posted Jan 21, 2012 6:07 AM by Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann
Services are on in the snow! No Shabbat School & No Pre-School Due to the sleet and wintery mix. |
posted Sep 26, 2011 11:49 AM by high holidays
For Rosh HaShanah, click here. For Yom Kippur, click here. For Sukkot and Simchat Torah, click here. For babysitting and childcare information, click here. |
posted Jun 7, 2011 2:02 PM by KT Communications
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updated Jun 7, 2011 2:43 PM
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posted Mar 15, 2011 11:34 AM by Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann
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updated Mar 15, 2011 11:38 AM
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Tuesday March 15 2011 9 Adar Bet 5771
Shalom Kol Tzedek Hevre (community),
The days approaching Purim are among
the most joyous of the year. Even so, I
cannot help but have a heavy heart given the realities of our world –
especially those events that have occurred within this past week.
Many of us have been watching the footage
regarding the Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan with shock and horror. Especially concerning is the crisis that has emerged
as a result of meltdowns of nuclear reactors.
In a situation like this, we often feel so incredibly helpless. While it is frustrating to say that the only
thing we can do is to donate money, giving tzedakah (charity) is a concrete way we can help those on
the ground who are aiding the survivors and continuing the search and rescue
efforts. The excellent website “Charity
Navigator” has compiled a listing of best charities to help with relief efforts:
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=1221.
Among those charities highlighted (and also recommended by the great
organization American Jewish World Service) is the American Jewish Joint
Distribution Committee, a non-for-profit that works in more than 70 different
countries to alleviate hardship and hunger and to assist those victims of
natural disaster such as this. Go to www.jdc.org to learn more and donate.
In Israel and the West Bank, there has been news of
another tragedy. I was and remain
horrified and saddened by the weekend’s news of a massacre of family members at
Itamar, a Jewish settlement in the West Bank.
I mourn for those slain: 10-year-old Yoav Fogel, Udi Fogel, 37, Ruth Fogel, 36, four-year-old Elad Fogel,
and three-monthold Hadas Fogel.
While my shock and dismay at the murders is great, so is my pain and
frustration regarding the way in which Prime Minister Netanyahu and other
religious and political leaders are leveraging this incredible tragedy to further
political aims, including further shutting down a potential for a peace process
and promoting settlement expansion. Whatever our political views regarding the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict—and there are many varied ones in Kol Tzedek—I pray we can acknowledge
the pain and fear of this loss and also strengthen our resolve to work toward a
brighter future for all people who live in the region.
I want to offer a thoughtful essay by Rabbi Donniel
Hartman of the Shalom Hartman Institute of Jerusalem, http://hartman.org.il/Opinion_C_View_Eng.asp?Article_Id=644
and also encourage you to utilize the Israeli newspaper Ha-Aretz as a news
source. Ha-Aretz (www.haaretz.com) is a
wonderful resource that reflects various viewpoints and perspectives within
Israeli society.
Toward the end of the Purim megillah (scroll, story), it says, “The Jews had light and
gladness, joy and honor” (Esther 8:16).
As it was for our ancestors, so may it be for us. May the coming days and weeks bring us more
joy, more light, and more hope. May this
Purim lift our spirits and help us to celebrate life, even in the midst of
pain.
L’Shalom,
Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann
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posted Nov 30, 2010 1:49 PM by Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann
Come and Celebrate the Festival of Lights with us! Kol Tzedek's 6th Annual Hanukkah Party! NEW LOCATION!
University City Arts League 4226 Spruce St.
Your $5-$25 donation at the door will get you a plate of latkes!
Candlelighting with songs and stories will be at 5:30 All are welcome to bring your own menorah/hanukia.
Plus, games and art for all ages! Make and decorate an oversized candle and be part of a human menorah... or get on a team to act out the Hanukkah story with no words...
Please bring a Vegetarian side dish, salad, or beverage for a potluck to compliment the latkes. And, help KT reduce its carbon footprint - bring your own plate and silverware!
We will also be collecting coats, hats, and scarves for adults and kids of all ages, to benefit ACHIEVEAbility, and cat food and old towels for Project MEOW.
RSVP and invite friends at the Facebook event page! http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=104259742977149
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posted Nov 9, 2010 4:34 PM by Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann
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updated Nov 9, 2010 4:41 PM
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We invite all individual members and supporters of the Kol Tzedek Community to sign the Jewish Community Pledge to Save Lives, organized by Keshet, a national organization working for the full inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, trasngender Jews in Judaism. Sign up at: www.jewishcommunitypledge.org.This is the pledge:As members of a tradition that sees each person as created in the divine image, we respond with anguish and outrage at the spate of suicides brought on by homophobic bullying and intolerance. We hereby commit to ending homophobic bullying or harassment of any kind in our synagogues, schools, organizations, and communities. As a signatory, I pledge to speak out when I witness anyone being demeaned for their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. I commit myself to do whatever I can to ensure that each and every person in my community is treated with dignity and respect.Please sign up! |
posted Sep 2, 2010 11:15 AM by high holidays
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updated Sep 2, 2010 11:19 AM
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posted Mar 29, 2010 6:20 AM by Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann
Passover is often
referred to as a "Night of Questions" because the greatest sign of
our liberation is our ability to think, to struggle, and to question. The
Four Questions are actually mere examples of the kinds of questions we should
be asking on Passover! In fact, as one KT member pointed out to me
yesterday, it used to be that if others at the seder asked questions, one was
not even obligated to recited those specific four "Ma Nishta-nas".
Passover is a night for exploration, exploring the questions in our
history and life regardless of whether or not we find concrete answers.
Here are some of the questions that Kol Tzedek members have
been thinking about in preparation for Passover. In all the torah school
classes and in our 20 week Judaism for Everyone class, Kol Tzedekers have been
using their sechel (wisdom, mind), coming up with questions to foster
interesting conversation as we prepare for and sit down for seder. A document
of questions is attached for you to bring to your seder table if you choose! Why do we have a cup for Elijah
and a cup for Miriam on our seder table? Do people have free
choice? What kind of choice and
responsibility do we have to take ourselves out of a bad situation? How do we keep conversation
civil during a heavy theoretical and theological discussion? During the story of the Exodus,
we read that the Israelites wanted to leave If you take God out of the
story, how does it change? What are the numerous ways the
story can change if we ask “what if” questions? What can you do at a seder where
people have short attention spans? How can we use Passover and the
themes of slavery and freedom to relate to other groups of people? How can a person celebrate Passover if
he/she is not free? Why do we sing in Hebrew? Why do we have a seder on
Passover? Why do we wash our hands with a
bucket on Passover? Why do we celebrate Passover? Why do we ask the 4 questions? Why do we call them the 4
questions, if there is only one? Do you have to say the 4
questions? Why is it always the youngest
person who asks the questions? Why was Pharaoh so mean? Why are there no more Pharaohs? Why was God so harsh? Why were people more spiritual
then? Why don’t we believe in God the
same way now? Why do we keep all the
traditions? Why do we tell stories on
holidays?
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posted Feb 11, 2010 9:50 AM by Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann
Rabbi Lauren's sermons are up!
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posted Feb 5, 2010 4:27 PM by Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann
Due to weather, Torah School is cancelled for Sunday, February 7. |
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