Read & Listen

In this moment of mass infection and death, as we pore over graphs and statistics, death rates and casualties, let us take this teaching to heart and remember that every single person deserves to be recognized and loved. Everyone counts.

Rabbi Jonathan shares a mostly forgotten yet critical story about the eradication of malaria in the decades leading up to the founding of the state of Israel. It is also a personal story: the story about the work of his grandfather, Dr. Israel Jacob Kligler z”l.

The Torah portion this week is Tazria-Metzora, a famously obscure section of Leviticus that describes in detail all manner of skin afflictions and the ritual remedies that are prescribed for them. These chapters are joked about as the “booby prize” for unfortunate Bar and Bat Mitzvah students whose birthday happens to fall this time of ... Read more

This is an impossibly sad, frightening and terrifying time for countless millions, in fact billions of people around the entire planet. There will hopefully be hidden blessings and gifts that many of us will come to discern from this time. But the pain and the cost now and for the foreseeable future are very great. ... Read more

Jesus was a radical Jewish prophet, teacher and charismatic healer and leader, preaching and demonstrating an utterly authentic interpretation of the message of Judaism and its prophets: NO ONE is expendable; EVERYONE is a child of God.   His message was not rejected because “the Jews” were unwilling to hear him. He was not crucified ... Read more

Dear Friends, As we celebrate Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewish culture this Shabbat and coming week at the WJC, I wanted to offer some thoughts. The vast majority of American Jews are of Ashkenazi origin – that is, their ancestors lived in Central and Eastern Europe and spoke Yiddish. Ashkenaz is the Hebrew name for Germany, ... Read more

Dear Friends, This past week my wife Ellen and I participated in the Living Legacy Pilgrimage, a civil rights pilgrimage tour. Our dear friend Reggie Harris was one of the leaders of the trip. It was an intensive journey, as we visited key sites, memorials and museums throughout Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee, while meeting with ... Read more

Tonight I want to speak with you about the wisdom of King Solomon. Solomon, whose name Shlomo means “peace”, was one of the sons of King David. After David died, sometime in the 10th century BCE, Solomon ascended to the throne. According to the Book of Kings, which records the stories of Solomon’s reign, Solomon ... Read more

The heart is a life-sustaining muscle in our chests, beating and pulsing until our final breath. But that heart also becomes a metaphor to describe so much of the human endeavor. A person of great determination shows “so much heart.” When we are encouraged we “take heart.” When we are discouraged, we “lose heart.” Even ... Read more

As we approach the kaddish, I want to remember David Marell, who passed away this summer. David and his wife Patricia Mitchell helped found the Woodstock Jewish Congregation. Their daughters Gabrielle and Emily became Bat Mitzvah at the WJC. Patricia served as president. David chaired the committee that composed our “Vision Statement,” our guiding vision ... Read more