By Jenn Ross
While attending Beth El Temple’s Human Rights Shabbat in December, I was incredibly moved by speaker Dr. Truong Phuong of the International Service Center, who provided an overview of the challenges his agency faces serving the time-sensitive and desperate needs of Afghan ref…
By Rabbi Sam Yolen, Congregation Beth Israel, Lebanon
A very well-known origin story of a spiritual leader begins in this common way. There is a young person who grows up sheltered within the walls of a palace. This youngster learns the ins and outs of courtly life and is protected from the…
By Jenn Ross
I recently watched the Netflix limited series Maid, a powerful dramatization of some of the injustices in our society. I was struck by how many of the issues presented in the series caused me to reflect on the Jewish concept of Tzedek, or “justice.”
Social justice efforts …
By Ann Van Dyke
This speech was originally given at November's Thanksgiving Eve Interfaith Service
When I was a little girl growing up in a farming community in northern PA, the lighting of the candles on the altar of our little Methodist church said, “Quiet your heart and mind. Worship b…
By Rabbi Sam Yolen, Congregation Beth Israel
Recently Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook’s new rebranding campaign. Henceforth, Facebook shall be known as “Meta,” short for “Metaverse,” which is the culmination of decades of augmented reality technology and digitized human relatio…
