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After Brooklyn Fire, Assessing the Risks of Shabbat Technology
Every Friday before sundown, in countless observant Jewish homes across the United States, someone turns on a hot plate or a gas stovetop, and then doesn’t turn it off again for twenty-five hours. The practice is so common that it blends into the background of traditionally observant Jewish life. But since a malfunctioning Sabbath hot…
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My Lonely Passover in Uruguay
My college study-abroad term in Montevideo, Uruguay, left me with reasonable fluency in Spanish, a fear of slugs in sandwiches, the knowledge of more than a dozen soccer chants — and a deep, visceral love for the Jewish holiday of Passover and its accompanying festive Seder meal. The year before I lived in Uruguay, I’d…
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Can Israeli American Council Grow Without Kow-Towing to Big Donors Like Sheldon Adelson?
It was a gala reminiscent of the good old days of Jewish organizational philanthropy. When leaders of the Israeli American Council described the new community center they intend to build for Israeli expats in the San Fernando Valley, and the $10 million price tag that comes with it, hands were raised from the audience that…
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Rabbis 2015 Mark Strauss-Cohn
Rabbi Mark Strauss-Cohn has been with Temple Emanuel since 2001. In that time, he has not only led the congregation, but has also worked tirelessly to reach out to the larger community. He is part of “A Priest and A Rabbi Walk into a Bar,” in which he and an Episcopalian priest discuss theological matters….
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Rabbis 2015 Yehuda Ferris
As a Chinese family exploring Judaism, we had been considering conversion for a while when we met Rabbi Yehuda Ferris. He welcomed us with open arms and allowed us to spend as much time with him and his family as possible, which enabled us to see what Judaism stands for through his own behavior and…
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Rabbis 2015 William Tepper
Rabbi William Tepper is a leader in both our congregation and our community. He came to us after 15 years as a high school dramatic arts and English teacher and community theater director in Toronto, Ontario. Then, he, with the support of his wife Deborah Tepper, decided to study for the rabbinate — not an…
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Rabbis 2015 Wayne Franklin
Rabbi Wayne Franklin, the senior rabbi of our congregation of over 750 families, embodies the multiple and diverse skills that a rabbi must have in order to connect with congregants and lead the synagogue community in an effective way. Rabbi Franklin accepts congregants and other members of the Jewish community on their, not his, terms….
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Rabbis 2015 Arthur Ocean Waskow
The Shalom Center is a national organization, so its community reaches across the U.S. But though the thousands who are inspired by Rabbi Arthur Waskow to fulfill the mitzvot of tzedakah and tikkun olam may live many miles apart, they form a community dedicated to core Jewish values of caring and healing. For that ever-growing…
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Rabbis 2015 Laura Geller
For 20 years, Rabbi Laura Geller has encouraged congregants to discover holiness in their lives, and to fulfill Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills’ mission statement, which reads: “We honor each individual’s unique Jewish journey at every stage of life.” Recently she led the congregation and the wider L.A. Jewish community to honor a new stage…
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Rabbis 2015 Avi Winokur
Rabbi Avi Winokur has been a leader in many ways. He is warm and welcoming, but also insightful. His combination of intelligence and passion has brought many new and diverse members to our synagogue. Rabbi Winokur has a son who struggles with very serious health conditions. Watching the grace with which Rabbi Winokur handles this…
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Rabbis 2015 Shefa Gold
I completed a two-year chant leadership program called Kol Zimra with Rabbi Shefa Gold in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her unique style allowed me to connect with Hashem (God) and the divine essence within myself. Through repetition of sacred text, chanting took me to a place where I could reframe and recontextualize my life’s experiences so…
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