October 7 marks the solemn first anniversary.
These are the individuals we have lost. If you are blessed not to need to attend Yizkor services for lost loved ones this year, show up to share a moment of remembrance for these souls.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/those-we-have-lost/
During Elul, we include Psalm 27 in our prayers. Line 4 is most familiar, performed by the incomparable Chava Mirel and translated by Rabbi Rachel Barenblat:
Only one thing do I ask of You, Yah:
Just this alone do I seek, I want to be at home with you, Yah,
All the days of my life.
I want to delight in seeing You.
Seeing You when I come to visit You in Your temple.
Shabbat Shalom
On Monday evening, August 12, we begin the solemn remembrance of Tisha b’Av, the Ninth day of the Month of Av in the Jewish calendar.
This day marks the great disasters that have befallen the Jewish people: the destruction of the First and Second Temples and other catastrophes. It is a sad day, often a fast day, with prayers of lament, including chanting the Book of Lamentations known as Eicha.
As a people of history, we know persecution too well. AntiSemitism has become more out in the open and widespread. The current war has complicated our relationship with the world even further. There is even speculation that Iran will launch its reprisal attack on this date as a cruel, ironic twist to the ongoing hostilities.
It is a time to acknowledge and share in the sorrow and the martyrdom of so many of our brothers and sisters whose only crime was to be Jewish.
As we reflect on this somber moment, we also take heart in knowing that Am Yisrael Chai, The People of Israel, lives through it all.
You can listen to the chanting of Eicha with its haunting melody here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8RBrOiCy40
Another week of anxious anticipation. In Israel, it is peaceful but tense as the Iranian reprisal waits for its moment.
Israelis traditionally use the phrase ‘Laila Tov’ to wish each other a peaceful and restful night.
Many have started using the phrase ‘Laila Shaket,’ wishing for a quiet night.
May this Shabbat be quiet and good and of Peace.
Shabbat Shalom
Erev Shel Shoshanim-Evening of the Lillies is a song of love poetry, a way to understand the beauty of Shabbat. This version is Jane Bordeaux’s.
We welcome Shabbat. As tensions run high and hot, we are praying for peace.
Shabbat Shalom
This Shabbat, peace seems as elusive as ever.
We pray for peace for all seekers of peace and to bring the captives home.
Oseh Shalom bimromav Hu ya’aseh Shalom Aleinu v’al kol Yisrael v’al kol yoshvei teiveil, v’imru Amen.
Shabbat Shalom
We acknowledge and mark Juneteenth, the 19th of June, to celebrate the day the United States fully recognized the Emancipation Proclamation.
This significant day, Juneteenth, was not the day of the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared the end of Slavery in the United States. Instead, it was the day when news of Lincoln’s historic decree reached the enslaved people of Galveston, Texas. Carried by 2,000 Union Troops, this news brought the long-awaited freedom to these individuals. Juneteenth stands as a pivotal moment in the journey towards realizing the ideals of the Declaration of Independence, that “All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.“ The journey towards freedom began on January 1, 1863, when Lincoln proclaimed that all enslaved people within the rebellious states were to be free. However, this news took two more years to reach Galveston, Texas, in 1865. The word of freedom has since spread across the nation, but the task of turning the dream encapsulated in those words into a reality is an ongoing one.
The New Golden Age, the convening of a Black-Jewish alliance sponsored by Culture Changing Christians and the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia is a testament to the enduring significance of Juneteenth. This occasion, which celebrates the date and renews our commitment to the American vision of freedom and equality for all, underscores the ongoing relevance of Juneteenth. It serves as a reminder that the work towards realizing this vision is not yet complete, but together, we strive to fulfill that dream.
This statement was drafted by Pastor Carl Day and Rabbi David Levin of the New Golden Age.
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The New Golden Age is a joint partnership between the Jewish and Black communities in Philadelphia focused on combating hate, enhancing security, and strengthening the local community’s social safety net. This initiative was started by The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia and the Culture Changing Christians.
Cantor Azi Schwartz and Bat Ella join to bring us “Little Gifts,” the special small things that make life worthy of our gratitude and, of course, Shabbat.
Shabbat Shalom
Jews are using the phrase “we are the canary in the coal mine” as a warning that
anti-Semitism signals growing hatred of all groups in our nation. This idea is profoundly flawed, ironically counterproductive, and requires immediate redress.
The phrase is a desperate appeal to others that they must fight anti-Semitism as it inevitably will lead to hatred against them—that tactic won’t work. People will stand against anti-Semitism because it is wrong. And if they can rationalize anti-Semitism, they won’t care about Jews, canaries, or anyone else. Besides, there is another group that already experiences an institutional brand of hatred: black people and others of color.
People of color have been experiencing hatred and systemic racism for as long as any of us have come to these shores. When we think of Jews as the ones on the front line, we negate the experience of the black community. That is egotistical and shameful and ironically belies the idea embodied in the Canary Phrase. We should be aware of this hatred and align with those others who experience it.
I am not a canary, and I am not in a coal mine. Despite the alarming sharp increase in public displays of anti-Semitism, we live well, thoroughly enjoying so many blessings of this place. We have the power and the means to defend ourselves. And we are. Others do not, and we must help them.
Let us stand against hatred in all its forms besides every one of goodwill. We denounce hatred of any group and work together to fight it on the streets, in the courts, and our hearts. So our country may live up to its aspirations.
We are not birds; we are American Jews standing tall for the values we believe in, and together, we will prevail.
