This week marks three months since the beginning of the school year at Congregation Bet Haverim Community School. When I reflect on everything I’ve learned and experienced serving as a rabbi at CBHCS since August, I have trouble believing it’s been only three months. My brain knows exactly how many days have passed—just a few too many to claim a 90-day money-back guarantee—and my heart is so filled with memories, it seems I must have collected them for years. I want to share three highlights from the last three weeks: On the last Sunday in October, I was a participant in our Family Minyan, sitting … Read more
My post on the Rabbis Without Borders blog this month is a personal narrative, in which I recount my attempt to find wholeness in the months leading up to the High Holy Days: A few months ago I realized I hadn’t been myself for a long time. I’d been under a lot of stress for the better part of two years. Fueled by adrenaline and plenty of coffee, I could make it through each day without acknowledging the toll on my health. Only in year three, when the stress lifted, did my body begin to fail. Many of the injuries I suffered could be categorized … Read more
On the Rabbis Without Borders blog, a reflection on being paralyzed by fear and finding a way forward, with the help of friends, including one who encouraged me to compose and share this prayer: “God Desires My Freedom,” recited at the Lights for Liberty Vigil to End Human Detention Camps, Plaza Fiesta, Chamblee, GA – July 12, 2019 En medio de mi angustia llamé al Señor; El Señor me respondió y me puso en un lugar espacioso. מִֽן־הַ֭מֵּצַ֥ר קָרָ֣אתִי יָּ֑הּ עָנָ֖נִי בַמֶּרְחָ֣ב יָֽהּ From the depths of despair I cry out to You, God; Answer me, from the wide open place of Your Presence. (Psalms … Read more
On the Rabbis Without Borders blog, my personal story of accompanying an asylum seeker in immigration court: The email request arrives on Friday around 2:30 pm. The subject: “Accompaniment Urgently Needed for Asylum Court Case.” Volunteers are needed on June 6th. It’s been more than five months since I returned from Nogales, where I was immersed for three days in the work of the KINO Border Initiative. There I learned what the Jesuits mean by accompaniment: “Accompany is to be present with people on their journey. We cannot change their situations or solve their problems; we can listen, reassure them we care and they are … Read more
On the Rabbis Without Borders blog, a tribute to 3 rabbis who influenced me as a student and newly ordained rabbi and who continue to impact my teaching and my students today. Thanks to Micah B. and Micah R., rising juniors at The Weber School, who created the image and gave me permission to post it: “Spring is graduation season. My Facebook feed is crowded with photos of my friends’ children in cap-and-gown garb, sporting smiles, and degrees from high schools, colleges, universities and professional schools all over the country…I love this time of year and—it will surprise no one who knows me to learn—I … Read more
Many of my friends practice yoga. I never did. It’s just not my thing. Years ago, I used to run, and play volleyball and basketball. I was younger then. Now I prefer fast-walking, or taking an aerobics or spin class at the gym. My default mode when I exercise, like when I teach, is high energy. In the last year and a half, however, I’ve grown to appreciate the value of holding a yoga pose for several minutes and focusing only on breathing. Every morning, I spend nearly twenty minutes being still. This change in my behavior was not the result of a personal realization … Read more
“What did you do during spring break?” I can hardly wait to get back to school Monday morning to ask, and answer, this question. Yesterday, I offered an invocation during the awards luncheon at the WICERS 2019 conference. It was the second-most meaningful meal, after our family Seder, of my Passover celebration. WICERS, an acronym for Women In Construction, Engineering and Related Services, is described on its website as “an exciting opportunity for professionals in construction, engineering, and other related fields to convene, share, and gain, powerful resources for personal and professional development.” The WICERS movement has a fascinating origin story, and how I came to … Read more
On the Rabbis Without Borders blog, a reflection on praying at the Roswell Community Masjid (RCM) after the terrorist attack at the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand: “I arrive nearly an hour early for Jumuah (Friday afternoon communal prayers). I want to visit briefly with the Imam and other friends before the service, because I know I’ll be rushing home after the prayers to finish preparing for Shabbat. I sit toward the back of the women’s section, close to the southern wall. Just as the Imam begins his remarks, a woman rushes in and sits beside me; she greets … Read more
On the Rabbis Without Borders blog, I continue my series of posts about my morning routine. This past week’s reflection is about prayer, specifically my singing of Psalms every morning: “I didn’t plan to return to the subject of poetry, or even that of prayer, in this blog post. But since waking up to the news of the horrific shooting in New Zealand on Friday, I’ve been doing quite a bit of praying every morning, so it seems only fitting to write about prayer this week. Usually, my morning exercise of prayer is dominated by the poetry found in the book of Psalms. I have … Read more
It’s always dark when the dogs wake me in the morning, and switching to Daylight Savings Time hasn’t changed anything. I’m not ready to rise, but dogs are creatures of habit and need to get moving in the morning. I have a few minutes between when they shake themselves awake and make their way to the front door. I use the time to turn on my phone flashlight, pull on my slip-on sneakers and zip up my jacket, because it’s always coldest before the dawn. Check the pockets for poop bags. Clip the leashes onto their collars—this usually takes me a few tries, because my … Read more
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