We welcome Shabbat, Kabbalat Shabbat with a series of Psalms beginning with Psalm 95. Rabbi Rayzel Raphael takes the words, L’khu n’ran’nah, and shares, Rock to the Rockin Joy.
Enjoy and Shabbat Shalom.
Category: Peace
Shabbat Shalom
Teach your Children is a song that has always moved me with its special message. The V’ahavta echoes inside my head as I hear the music play and the words reach out, sharing the message: we are in this together, to share our wisdom and make meaning of our life journey.
This is the Playing for Change Band onstage in Tel Aviv with the timeless song of Crosby Stills and Nash.
Shabbat Shalom
Shabbat Shalom
Shabbat Shalom
Paul McCartney wrote Blackbird as a tribute to the civil rights struggle in the United States. It is a song that needs to be sung now for all seeking freedom. The incomparable Jon Batiste performs this rendition.
Shabbat Shalom
Why do these Kippot Cost so much?
Why do these kippot cost so much?
It is because we are trying to raise as much money as we can to help the victims of war. We are not in the business of selling Kippot.
These kippot are unique and designed to represent the Sunflower, the national flower of Ukraine and a symbol of hope, in the Ukrainian national colors. The Kippot are made in a fair trade arrangement with a Guatemalan Women’s cooperative; we want them compensated adequately. Our goal is to get money to one of the influential NGOs in Poland, the JCC Krakow.
The JCC is dedicated to helping refugees in need, whether Jewish or not. It is an extraordinary opportunity for the Jewish community of Poland to lead in a time of crisis. It is likewise an extraordinary opportunity for the Jewish community of the United States to support the work.
Please help us with a generous donation and proudly wear a symbol of our humanity. #standwithUkraine
Show your support
Chag Pesach Sameach and Shabbat Shalom
Ha Lachma Anya
The bread of the Poor
Buses unloaded their precious cargo at the intake center, women and children from Lviv and Kyiv. Bewildered, they started the process of finding refuge after escaping terror but leaving husbands and fathers behind to fight for Ukraine. We reached across the language barrier and handed the children lollipops. Like our children, they delighted in this unexpected treat. The smiles and laughter strengthened moms, and together they tentatively walked forward toward the refugee center (I cannot show faces to protect the identities of families left behind).
This is the poor person’s bread- a bread of hope and compassion. HaLachma Anya is the simple but profound gesture of giving something to those who have less, even when we do not have much to share. Together, we are one step closer to redemption.
Shabbat Shalom
This prayer has always moved me and seems to be deep in my heart this Shabbat.
But the power resides in us. Wishing everyone Shabbat Shalom.
Humanitarian trip for Ukrainians
Friends,
As many of you know, I am heading to Poland as part of a humanitarian mission with 25 other rabbis. The Hineini mission, as it is being called, is coordinated by Rabbi Jonathan Orenstein, executive director of the Jewish Community Center in Krakow. We will use the JCC in Krakow as our hub and go to the border helping in whichever ways we can.
My primary purpose is to support Ukrainian refugees and bear witness, listening to their stories and learning from them. I will bring these stories back home so we will all remain aware and committed to the ongoing needed support.
We continue to raise funds and supplies. We are approaching 2 tons of aid in our duffel bags and have $500k in financial donations so far.
The Mishkan was built with the donations of those who desired to give. If you are moved to help the refugees, donate to the JCC in Krakow, https://www.friendsofjcckrakow.org/, and let me know so we can add your contributions to the tally. Donations sent to me at Jewish Relationships Initiative will be forwarded to the JCC Krakow or the JDC.
L’Shalom,
Rabbi David Levin
Friends of JCC Krakow is a 501c3.
The land of the free means something
The United States must be a haven to asylum seekers. People fleeing war and violence must be provided safe harbor here. My people, the Jews, were turned away and the consequences were devastating. 100,000 Ukrainians is a start. The bureaucratic red tape must give way to an open door to give immediate refuge.
We must help those wretched huddled masses yearning to breathe free. This is more than a slogan on the base of a statue, it is the aspiration of our land. We must be color blind, sensitive to the desperate plight of these people whether they come here from the war-torn streets of Ukraine, Honduras, or Guatemala.
If America is the leader of the free world, then President Zelenskiy is correct; we must be the leader of peace.