At this time of year, many of our students and community members set off on journeys of discovery to Israel and other locales. We wish them Tzeitzchem le shalom, u’voakhem le shalom. Depart in peace, and return to us in peace. We offer up a prayer for your safe travels: May it be Your will, Adonai our God and God of our ancestors, to guide them in peace. May the journey to their destination be peaceful. May they arrive vital, joyful, and content. And may... Read More

The Torah’s vision of counting these 50 days we call “the Omer” is to remember God’s gifts of freedom and sustenance. Our daily count is an affirmation of the blessings in our lives we take for granted, and upon which we depend. Onto this positive purpose, following the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, later tradition imposed sad memories. To honor the losses of our ancestors, this Omer season became a symbolic period of national mourning. No... Read More

The song Dayenu offers repair for our ancestors’ ingratitude while wandering in the wilderness. Where they complained about the food, or lack of water, or the harsh environment, or the challenge of entering the land, we give thanks for their experience. Instead of letting their complaints every step along the way stand, in freedom and relative comfort we proclaim how grateful we are for each and every moment in the drama of our people’s redemption. Dayenu says... Read More

This Shabbat we call Shabbat Parah, the first of four special Shabbatot leading up to Pesah, the festival of witnessing.  The purpose of the redemption from Egyptian slavery, the purpose of God’s intervention through the plagues and the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart in the Exodus narrative was, “So that you may tell the story in the hearing of your children and your children’s children.” (Exodus 10:2) We were redeemed from Egypt so that we might tell the story... Read More

On Purim, we recall an existential threat to the Jewish people, a threat overcome through courage and conviction. Celebrating Mordecai's convictions and Esther's courage, on Purim we laugh, mock, dress in costumes, and act silly. Why? Why is Purim the funny holiday? In life, our goal is to do more than survive. Our goal is to thrive, to live well, to do good and be happy, and to laugh. Humor actually protects us. It helps us to cope. It nurtures our souls... Read More

On Tu B’Shevat we anticipate nature’s renewal and the redemption we will celebrate on Pesah when the spring arrives. In the winter, Tu B’Shevat is a holiday that points us toward our duties to preserve the earth and care for one another. The Torah portrays the first human beings who live in the world in the setting of a garden, surrounded and sustained by trees and vegetation. The image is a powerful one. Humanity is blessed by the earth’s bounties, and responsible... Read More

Mindful religion is spiritually compelling and intellectually rooted in sacred history as well as in conscience and common sense. Mindful religion expresses wonder and worry. Mindful religion's trust in God asks questions and seeks answers. Mindful religion cherishes hope and dignity. Mindful religion can be a path to meaning, community, and life purpose. I understand Conservative Judaism as Mindful Religion. Conservative Judaism affirms intellectual honesty... Read More

Our theme for Hanukkah this year at Chizuk Amuno is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the redemption of Soviet Jewry. On December 6, 1987 many of us marched on the capitol in Washington DC to demand the release of Jews from the Soviet Union. It remains one of the great successes of the American and world Jewish communities that hundreds of thousands of refuseniks were literally set free from communist Russia and then became part of the larger world Jewish... Read More

Avinu She Ba shama’yim, Rock and Redeemer of the people Israel: Bless the State of Israel, with its promise of redemption. Shield it with Your love; spread over it the shelter of Your peace. Guide its leaders and advisors with Your light and Your truth. Help them with Your good counsel. Strengthen the hands of those who defend our Holy Land. Deliver them; crown their efforts with triumph. Bless the land with peace, and its inhabitants with lasting joy. And... Read More

Our God and God of our ancestors: We ask your blessings for our country, for its government, for its leaders and advisors, and for all who exercise just and rightful authority. Teach them insights of Your Torah, that they may administer all affairs of state fairly, that peace and security, happiness and prosperity, justice and freedom may forever abide in our midst. Creator of all flesh, bless all the inhabitants of our country with Your spirit. May citizens... Read More