When a swastika is drawn in our town, in our community, we have to decide how we are going to respond. And there really are two choices: you either ignore it, or you act. And when we think about and study the history of antisemitism and racism, we know how often people choose to ignore Continue Reading »
I honestly don’t know where to begin this evening. In trying to think about the right words to share, the right remarks, what we need to hear – I have struggled. I have struggled more than on any other occasion during my rabbinate. Like you, I woke up to the news yesterday morning and I Continue Reading »
(This is an abridged version of the letter shared with our TST families on October 7th) Dear TST Families, As the tragic events in Israel continue to unfold, I am writing with an update, an offer of support, and some resources. Whatever you are feeling right now is valid. Please know that the clergy team Continue Reading »
In a country on the other side of the globe, two terrorists walked into a building and murdered 11 people. It was a hateful crime, which was immediately universally condemned. As a show of solidarity people began posting the country’s flag on their social media accounts, and there was even a slogan of camaraderie that Continue Reading »
By Rabbi Lisa Eiduson On July 25, the New York Times reported, a woman named Peggy Jones and her husband Wendell, learned a lesson in a most usual way. They were home, doing yardwork in Silsbee, Texas, about 100 miles from Houston. Suddenly, a snake fell from the clear blue sky and landed right on Continue Reading »
By Rabbi Lisa Eiduson “It is the best day ever. So was yesterday, and so is tomorrow, and every day from now until forever.” Words from the block-buster summer movie Barbie –now Warner Brothers’ highest-grossing domestic film release in history. It is more than a rage. It is an entire movement called “Barbiecore.” Did you Continue Reading »
By Student Rabbi Heather Renetzky When I was little, my parents spent A LOT of quarters on the washer and dryer in our apartment building. This was for two reasons: As a baby, apparently the vibration of the machine was just about the only thing that would calm me down enough to fall asleep. Continue Reading »
What do you want to be? Some of us never get asked that question any more, while for the younger members of our community it’s a question that they are probably asked with quite some frequency. Had you asked me that question when I was a child then I would have answered with certainty that Continue Reading »
A few months ago I learned 3 important lessons … from a wheelbarrow. Hire someone or find a friend to help you when spreading a mountain of mulch. A cracked rib is really painful. And 3. Always listen to your wife. I had plans of spreading this mountain of mulch on my own, and over Continue Reading »
Tonight, we begin the commemoration of Tisha B’Av. This day is without a doubt the saddest on the Jewish calendar, as we remember the destruction of the first and second Temples. In recalling these tragic moments from Jewish history, one of the messages that we take from the day is not that our downfall came Continue Reading »