Cantor's Blog
Olam Chesed Yibaneh: Building a World (and a nation) with Love
01/07/2021 11:49:21 AM
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As chaos unfolded in our nation’s capitol yesterday, I was scheduled to meet with our sixth grade students over zoom. Instead of teaching my prepared lesson, their teachers and I decided to give them space to talk about the current events of the day and to offer a prayer for peace.
The song we sang, “Olam Chesed Yibaneh” by Rabbi Menachem Creditor, teaches that we must build a world from love. Rabbi Creditor wrote this song in...Read more...
A Very Jewish Christmas: Three Beloved Christmas Carols and Their Jewish Origins
12/29/2020 09:01:09 AM
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D'var Torah, 12/25/20
One of my fondest high school memories was right before winter break each year when our choir would traverse the school hallways as our director carted an electric keyboard on wheels. Our goal was to spread holiday cheer to each and every classroom by singing Christmas carols. You could even call it the original version of a flashmob. And you might wonder how a bunch...Read more...
I Had a little dreidel: The 2020 Edition
12/08/2020 11:40:03 AM
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2020 has been a difficult year for all of us. Jewish humor has often served as a coping mechanism in times of trouble. To lighten the mood this Hanukkah, here are some new verses for "I Had a Little Dreidel" that are especially relevant to the times we are living in:
I had a little dreidel I played with it on Zoom. Unfortunately, the WIFI crashed And kicked me off the room. I had a little dreidel To show on the...Read more...Five Jewish Communal Lessons from a Socially Distant Halloween
11/03/2020 10:58:59 AM
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Celebrating Halloween this year taught us many lessons that are relevant to the world of Jewish engagement. eJewishphilanthropy.com published Cantor Fogelman's observations on these lessons on their website this week. Click here to read more, or see full text below.
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In American culture, celebrating Halloween is a typically a well-oiled conglomeration of costumes, candy, and parties. But when a pandemic rages and...Read more...
The earliest possible moment
10/28/2020 12:09:04 PM
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It might seem a bit early to be thinking about Chanukah, but I want to talk about Chanukah in conjunction with something that is very current in our lives right now: The election.
Lighting Chanukah candles anytime after sunset is typically fair game. However, I learned while living in Israel that many observant Jews rush to light candles at the very first twinkle of stars in the sky. This way, they prolong the mitzvah of lighting...Read more...
Jewish Geography Zoom Racing
07/29/2020 11:30:33 AM
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One of the more interesting Jewish communal innovations to come out of this pandemic period is an Internet game show called “Jewish Geography Zoom Racing.” The show, which is broadcast on Facebook Live, was the brainchild of Micah Hart, a social and digital marketer based in Atlanta. The show operates on the principle that when two or more Jews get together, the subject very often turns to who knows whose Jewish relatives and friends and...Read more...
History Has Its Eyes On You
07/13/2020 07:53:29 PM
Cantor Lauren Fogelman
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D'var Torah, 7/10/2020
Let me tell you what I wish I’d known/ When I was young and dreamed of glory/ You have no control/ Who lives, who dies, who tells your story….
On the eve of our Independence Day Weekend, Disney+ gave our increasingly divided and troubled country a gift: The early release of the Hamilton movie, featuring a recorded performance...Read more...
Seeking Your Input
06/08/2020 10:56:00 PM
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Thanks to the American Conference of Cantors (ACC) and the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), I have been blessed with many opportunities to discuss and troubleshoot the perils and perks of creating meaningful worship online. The greatest lesson to come out of these meetings is that no two congregations are the same and clergy need to discover and adjust to the needs of our individual communities.
As we prepare for a High...Read more...
Blessings of Separation
04/16/2020 03:08:12 PM
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When our second son, Evan Ariel, was born on February 26, I expected that we would be more or less homebound for the next few weeks. What I hadn’t anticipated was that the rest of the world would be joining us in our isolation. As challenging as these days of quarantine have been, I take comfort in the many ways that this strange time of separation have enabled us – however ironically – to come together.
These are just a few of...Read more...
Finding our Roots
02/05/2020 12:24:34 PM
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Judaism has always been a religion that celebrates roots. In one of our most important prayers, the Amidah – oftentimes known as the Tefillah (the Prayer) -- we acknowledge the first few generations of the Jewish family tree: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Sarah Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah. We continue growing our Jewish family through life cycle rituals, like B’nai Mitzvah, weddings, and baby namings. As Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote,...Read more...
Presence, not Presents
12/03/2019 06:19:16 PM
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‘Tis the season for holiday decorating and the retail frenzy that accompanies it. This year, it seems like stores are displaying more and more Chanukah items than ever before nestled amidst the ubiquitous red and green. From ritual items like menorahs and candles to festive dinnerware and spinning dreidel tops, Target, TJ Maxx, Bed Bath and Beyond, and your neighborhood drugstores have all of your holiday needs covered. And that’s not...Read more...
Preparing Ourselves for Prayer
09/06/2019 03:16:35 PM
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This post originally appeared on Reform.Judaism.org
The arrival of Parashat Va-et’chanan on Shabbat Nachamu reminds us that effective prayer is best achieved when we take the time to focus and organize our thoughts. This advice serves us well as we approach the upcoming Yamim Nora-im, a period of preparation and sanctity that launches amidst a series of structured countdowns.
We begin with this week’s entry into...Read more...
The Blessing of Wow
05/16/2019 11:39:02 AM
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Last week, a young boy attended a riveting concert at Boston's Symphony Hall. He was so moved by the beautiful Mozart piece played by the orchestra that he uttered an audible "wow" at the end of the piece. See the amazing video by clicking here.
Thanks to social media, a viral search to discover the boy's identity ensued. What they learned about the mysterious voice was nothing short of miraculous. Not only is he on the autism...Read more...
Blending Tradition and Change Across the Generations on ReformJudaism.org
04/02/2019 12:13:09 PM
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People often tell me I’m crazy when I tell them that Passover is my favorite Jewish holiday. The reason is that it is a holiday so steeped in home and family ritual so that everyone’s celebrations are personally meaningful and unique. So grateful to be able to share a glimpse of my family’s Seder on ReformJudaism.org: Blending Tradition and Change Across the Generations.
Here is the recipe for my family's Charoset:
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Purim Songs in the Age of #METoo
03/12/2019 11:16:58 PM
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Esther tends to get the credit for being the heroine in the Purim story. After all, she was the one who saved the Jewish people from Haman’s evil plot. But Esther would never have been made queen had it not been for another woman who often gets over looked – Queen Vashti. Vashti was the one who took a stand and refused to be objectified by King Achasveros. She’s a hero of biblical portions for today’s #MeToo movement.
While...Read more...
The Spiel's the Thing -- Be Part of TINW's 2019 Purim Extravaganza!
02/06/2019 11:44:10 AM
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Purim is coming, which means it’s time to put on a show! This year, Purim at TINW will take us back to the heyday of legwarmers, scrunchies, and big hair of the 1980s.
The tradition of performing a Purim Spiel dates long before that and can be traced back to at least the 15th century. The word “spiel,” which comes from the Yiddish word for “game” or “play”, began as a series of silly monologues based on rhymed...Read more...
Installation Address, 12/21/18
12/28/2018 04:11:31 PM
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Thank you to all of you who helped make my installation service so special. For those of you who missed it, these are the words I offered in honor of the occasion:
It seems Beshert – meant to be – that I have landed here at Temple Israel. As many of you know, my first Jewish home was a different Temple Israel – Temple Israel of Great Neck, to be exact. It was there that I developed the foundation...Read more...
A Fiddler on the Roof? Sounds Messugah, Nu?
11/26/2018 08:31:10 PM
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Three years ago, I saw the most recent Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof which highlighted the fact that there are modern day refugees who have been forced out of their homes much in the same way Tevye and his family had to leave Anatevka. Staging the musical from this angle showed me how far we have come and gave me so much hope for the future.
Now, a few years later and in a much different political climate, I saw National...Read more...
Disarming Hatred: A Response to the Tragedy in Pittsburgh
10/29/2018 08:26:34 PM
Cantor Lauren Phillips Fogelman
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When I was a teenager, I visited Europe with my family. Among the sites we toured were several synagogues, including the Neve Shalom Synagogue in Istanbul. At the time, the congregation had experienced both a mass shooting and a bombing. In 1986, gunmen opened fire during a Shabbat service, resulting in the death of 22 individuals. In 1992, a bomb exploded at the synagogue. Fortunately, that there were no casualties...Read more...
I Will Plant for my children
10/25/2018 04:43:29 PM
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Our sages teach us about a man named Honi who saw a man planting a carob tree. Honi asked the man, “How long will it take for this tree to bear fruit?”
The man replied, “Seventy years.”
Honi then asked the man, “Do you really thin you will live another seventy years to eat from the fruit of this...Read more...
Mar HesHvan Sameach!
10/10/2018 05:21:31 PM
Cantor Lauren Phillips Fogelman
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The gates are closed, the month of Tishrei is over, and we have officially made it through another High Holy Day season. This week we celebrated Rosh Chodesh Heshvan, the beginning of the Hebrew month of Heshvan. Heshvan is affectionately nicknamed “Mar Heshvan,” which means “Sad Heshvan” in Hebrew. Heshvan is considered to be a sad month because it is the only month on the Hebrew calendar without a single Jewish holiday. Our next...Read more...
just add water: seeking forgiveness During Taschlich
09/04/2018 11:04:54 AM
Cantor Lauren Phillips Fogelman
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When we perform Tashlich on Rosh Hashanah afternoon, we literally cast the sins of the past year into a body of water. We represent our wrongdoings with pieces of bread. As we toss them into the dampness, we reflect upon the things we wish we had done better, promising to make improvements over the course of the coming year.
Tashlich is one of my favorite Jewish rituals because...Read more...
connecting song with prayer
08/30/2018 03:39:05 PM
Cantor Phillips Fogelman
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The Chasidic master Rabbi Yisrael ben Eliezer, known as the Baal Shem Tov, recounts a story of a boy who brought his flute to synagogue on Yom Kippur. The boy didn’t know the prayers, but was moved by the music and the spirituality of the service. At first, he sat in quiet frustration, unsure of how to express his connection with the liturgy. Towards the end of Neilah, the final...Read more...
Mon, January 18 2021
5 Sh'vat 5781
TINW Happenings
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Saturday ,
JanJanuary 23 , 2021Brotherhood's Virtual Comedy Night
Motzei Shabbat, Jan 23rd 8:00pm to 10:00pm
Our very first virtual Comedy Night! Funnier than ever! Featuring the very talented Michael Somerville, Kerri Louise and Brad Trackman. Purchase your links today! -
Wednesday ,
FebFebruary 3 , 2021An Evening with Fran Hawthorne, Author of The Heirs
Wednesday, Feb 3rd 7:30pm to 9:30pm
Fran Hawthorne has spent more than three decades writing award-winning nonfiction, including eight books, mainly about consumer activism and business social responsibility. She has also been writing fiction since age four, and in 2018 her debut novel, The Heirs, was published by Stephen F. Austin State University Press -- and sold out its first printing in two months. In addition, Fran has been an editor or regular contributor for The New York Times, Business Week, Fortune, and many other publications. She is now at work on two new novels and reviews fiction for the New York Journal of Books. -
Thursday ,
FebFebruary 11 , 2021
Thursday, Feb 11th 7:30pm to 8:00pm
Join us for a quick Purim refresher on, "What You Always Wanted to know about Purim but Have Not Yet asked" on Zoom. Bring your questions, answers, and any tips for making delicious and creative Hamantaschen! -
Thursday ,
AprApril 29 , 2021
Thursday, Apr 29th 7:30pm to 8:15pm
Events
Today's Calendar
MLK Day |
Temple Closed |
Friday Night
Candle Lighting : 4:42pm |
: 7:00pm |
Shabbat Day
Torah Study : 9:30am |
: 8:00pm |
Upcoming Programs & Events
Jan 18 |
Jan 20 |
Jan 23 |
Jan 26 |
Feb 2 |
This week's Torah portion is Parashat Bo
Shabbat, Jan 23 |
Candle Lighting
Friday, Jan 22, 4:42pm |
Tu BiSh'vat
Thursday, Jan 28 |