Congregation Beth Mordecai
Congregation Beth Mordecai
An inclusive congregation affiliated with the Conservative Movement.
Your Jewish Home for the Soul!
An inclusive congregation affiliated with the Conservative Movement.
Your Jewish Home for the Soul!
April 4, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
When I was in rabbinical school, we talked a good deal about the language we use to describe our communities. One of the terms that got tossed around a lot was "family." It's a word that connotes a feeling of closeness, of connection, of security, and of a deep and powerful bond that holds us together. Yet there is a certain amount of poetic license in describing our synagogue community as a family. Not only are most of us not related, but despite the close bonds that some of us feel with one another, do we really have such strong ties that each of us would call each other "family"?
Personally, I've tried to be cognizant of how often I describe[...]
Category : Family Shabbat Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat Tag : aspiration comfort family family shabbat intergenerational rabbi rabbi's journal shabbat support wisdom
March 23, 2014 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
This past Shabbat, I spoke about the importance of innovation, in our programming and in our mission building, to not only keep the content of our community fresh but to build excitement in our community for trying new and innovative ways of engaging Judaism. Today, is a day devoted to fulfilling that promise of being innovative.
This morning, I will join our esteemed executive director Elliot Rubin at a half-day conference run by United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism to bring small congregations together to talk about best practices and share ideas on how to run our organizations more effectively. As small congregations we share many of the same challenges, like membership growth and retention, programming breadth, and depth of[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : elliot rubin faith traditions innovation interfaith families small congregations united synagogue wisdom
July 10, 2012 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh, I am very excited because I am on my way to New York City today! It'll be nice to step out onto the streets I called home for over a decade, but more than anything else, this trip is about a threefold commitment I am making to our community: 1) PROVIDING MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCES - This morning I will be meeting with Cantor Levine to start working on High Holiday services that are meaningful, spiritual, and relevant to our Jewish community. These are the kinds of activities that get me very excited and I look forward to being part of a team (which can include all of you!) to provide high quality spiritual experiences. I am psyched for the High Holidays[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur Tag : community high holidays meaning meaningful experiences new york one on one rabbi rabbi's journal wisdom
July 5, 2012 By bethmordecai no comments.
Dear Hevreh,
This afternoon, I had the honor of going with Elliot to the apartment of Sarah Omanson z"l, who passed away at the beginning of June. Her nephew, Joel, was coming in on occasion to move her aunt's stuff from her apartment and he asked us to if we were interested in taking her collection of Judaica and Jewish books. We obliged and this afternoon brought over five large boxes of Jewish books from her library! These books keenly described a woman who moved from Brooklyn to Perth Amboy to become a librarian at Fort Monmouth for 35 years (1942-1979). They epitomize a woman who wrote poems and short stories as a member of the International Society of[...]
Category : Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Tag : books history knowledge legacy wisdom