My grandmother’s brother and sister walked from Germany to Israel. In 1938, they left Breslau (which is now a part of Poland) and walked to Greece where they took a boat to British-mandate Palestine. As my grandmother would tell it, her siblings took a boat in the middle of the night because the British had […]
“Now is the time for people of conscience to come together to transform our justice system into one that is actually just. That means reimagining community safety, working to demilitarize and divest from police departments, and to dedicating significant resources to social services, restorative justice initiatives and alternatives to incarceration. This time of upheaval demands […]
It is with much excitement that we share the good news that our rabbinic team is growing! We are thrilled to share that Rabbi Steven Philp will be joining Rabbi Deena Cowans and myself to help us expand our ability to teach, preach and reach as many people as possible with inspired, down-to-earth Judaism. In […]
For the past four years, I’ve taken great comfort in the many reminders in Jewish liturgy that we don’t worship any human king or person – we answer to G!d, the Royalty above royalty, Melekh Malkhei ha’Melakhim, the king of kings, the Sabbath Queen, the Source of Life. It helped me keep perspective, and reminded me […]
When we at Mishkan come across unusual and meaningful opportunities to learn and talk about Israel, we find that our community wants to take part. It’s for this reason that we’re inviting you to join me, and Mishkan, for a special opportunity to meet influential Palestinian civil society leaders in conversation with eight Jewish thought-leaders […]
I’m finding that many of my email exchanges are ending with sign-off’s like, “I hope you’re still breathing.” “Sending you breath.” Sending you breath. These words are well intentioned, of course– I’ve written them myself. And there’s something that twists in me when I see these words. ”Keep breathing.” Something we’re all too conscious of right […]
Michael and Doug’s wedding in March. The first of many joyful occasions through Zoom that enabled hundreds of people to celebrate together virtually. To watch Friday Night’s Shabbat Service, click here. One of the really hard parts of being a rabbi right now is witnessing the disappointment of the kids who had big plans, many […]
We are thrilled to announce that Rabbi Deena Cowans has accepted the Associate Rabbi position at Mishkan. Rabbi Deena, a Chicago native, wowed Mishkan community members and staff with her warmth, intelligence, and ability to build meaningful relationships with individuals and in groups. As the Family Programs Director at Congregation Ansche Chesed in NYC and […]
With a lot of love, we will say farewell to both Rabbi Lauren Henderson and Rabbi Jeff Stombaugh in mid-June. Rabbi Lauren recently accepted the position of Senior Rabbi at Or Hadash in Atlanta. Rabbi Jeff’s two-year Jewish Emergent Network Fellowship is coming to an end, and he has recently accepted the role of Rabbi/Executive Director at […]
You might remember the story of Hanukkah in Billings, Montana in 1993. Years of anti-Semitic rhetoric, pamphlets, and talk from the local Ku Klux Klan chapter culminated in someone throwing a cinderblock through a Hanukkah-decorated window of a 5 year old Jewish child. There were about 50 Jewish families in this town of 80,000 mostly-white, […]