On June 24th, 2022, shortly before the final Shabbat of Pride Month, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. In a concurring opinion, Justice Thomas plainly stated his desire to “revisit” Obergefell v. Hodges, the decision which legalized gay marriage in America. To those who would roll back years of progress, we say: “We Will […]
On June 14th, 2022, the Jewish news and culture outlet Tablet Magazine published an article by Jennifer Bilek — an openly transphobic writer known for advocating against medical transition — entitled “The Billionaire Family Pushing Synthetic Sex Identities.” The following is an open letter written by Mishkan’s Directors and Rabbinic Team. **** Letter to the […]
In honor of Pride Month, this drash was originally delivered at the Friday Night Shabbat service on June 10th. Entitled “Judaism Is Kinda Gay,” Rabbi Steven shares three queer Jewish stories from our tradition. Mishkan invites you to our upcoming Pride programming, including a Pre-Shabbat Pride Happy Hour and Pride-Themed Friday Night Shabbat on June […]
Passover is a story about freedom. But what even is freedom? Rabbi Deena breaks it down ahead of Mishkan’s virtual Passover seder. This sermon was originally delivered at the Saturday Morning Shabbat service on April 8th. You can also listen to it in podcast form on the latest Shabbat Replay on Contact Chai or watch […]
In the wake of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill and Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s threats against trans children and their families, Rabbi Steven delivers a passionate drash connecting the oppression of the LGBTQ+ community to the soul-crushing slavery our ancestors were born into which obscured the truth of their identity as bearers of the image […]
Rabbi Steven’s sermon given on Rosh Hashanah 5782 Back in June, I was about to head home from work when my husband texts me: “Could you take your kippah off when you’re on the train?” A Jewish man had just been the target of an antisemitic attack in Brooklyn. This was the latest in a […]
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 […]
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 […]
A few weeks ago, seventeen of our Mishkan community members, including members of our staff and our rabbis, took part in the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs’ racial justice training for Chicago-area congregations on a rainy Sunday, over Zoom (like all things nowadays). As a spiritual community, we had already gathered a small group back […]