DJC Blog

Israeli Opera: Somewhere A few weeks ago, a video came out of 60 Jewish and Arab singers and musicians joined together on the Israeli Opera’s stage to record a special rendition of “Somewhere,” which was written by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim for West Side Story. United on one stage, these beautiful musicians convey a […]

InterAct Education Center I recently learned about the InterAct Education Center, a non-profit organization committed to bringing “the multi-narratives of conflict to the wider world, building empathy and understanding on a much larger scale.” Their vision is to “generate critical understanding and deep empathy among war torn parties in conflict, and in the general public, […]

1. The podcast called “For Heaven’s Sake,” produced by the Shalom Hartman Institute. In pre-October 7 days, the podcast was co-hosted by Elana Stein Hain, Donniel Hartman, and Yossi Klein Halevi and its purpose was to “revive the Jewish art of constructive discussion on topics related to political and social trends in Israel, Israel-Diaspora relations, […]

A journalist’s reflections A video showing Chris Cuomo’s 8+ minute reflections on seeing the 47-minute footage of the horrors that occurred on October 7 in Israel. This material has been shown to journalists so that they can bear witness to the atrocities. Cuomo notes connections he makes to both September 11th and the Shoah and […]

Identity/Crisis Today, I am sharing a podcast called “Identity/Crisis” which is hosted by Yehuda Kurtzer, president of the Shalom Hartman Insitute of North America. While the podcast has been producing episodes since 2020, I would recommend the recent offerings since October 7. Topics explored over the past two months include: “In a frenzied media cycle, […]

From Rabbi Ilyse Glickman: We are starting a new blog series to introduce the DJC community to podcasts, books, websites, and other media offerings that may expand our understandings of the current war in particular and Israel/Palestine more broadly. I hope you listen/watch/read these recommendations with curiosity, openness, and empathy.Please let me know what you […]

In her Shabbat sermon, Rabbi Ilyse Glickman outlined biblical tales of sibling rivalry, paralleling them with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She emphasized shared Abrahamic heritage and advocated for hope and unity by highlighting groups like Standing Together and Sulha Peace Project that foster coexistence. Her message revolved around the need for peace and understanding, drawing on the symbolism of Isaac’s wells – particularly the Well of Spaciousness, which signifies en

Reflections on our recent Multifaith Vigil A learned rabbi once asked her students how they could tell when the night had ended and day had begun. “Could it be,” said one student, “when you can see an animal in the distance and tell if it is a sheep or a dog?” “No,” answered the rabbi. […]

I am writing to you at this truly difficult time. Today is Shabbat and Simchat Torah – both intended to be joyful and celebratory. But this joy has been transformed into pain and sorrow as we witness the waves of terror inflicted on Israel by Hamas today in a surprise attack. Many of our community members have friends and family in Israel and we are concerned and trying to connect with them by phone, social media, or email. With Israel under attack, we stand in solidarity wit

I had the pleasure of sharing my thoughts on the topic of “Wintering: Letting Within and Without Lie Fallow” with our neighbouring congregation at NUUC this past Sunday morning. We are fortunate to share wisdom and community through this unique Multifaith relationship. A few months after my 29th birthday I was in a serious car […]

“Happy New Year!” This phrase can be heard starting in December and continuing through January in every store and street, in each gathering and encounter. It is a beautiful wish for our human family: May 2023 prove to bring you much happiness and joy. May 2023 usher in greater gladness and merriment. The Jewish calendar […]

“Time is the soul of this world,” wrote Greek philosopher Pythagoras over two millenia ago. How right he was! The span of our lives is so often marked by noting the passage of time: a birthday to mark our increasing age, an anniversary to acknowledge our loving partnerships, the counting of school grades our children […]

I want to thank my supportive, inspiring sermon hevrutah/thought partner and dear friend, Shira Stutman, for working out these ideas together. You can hear her Rosh Hashana sermon on Chutzpod. It’s been 3 years since we’ve gathered together like this as a community in person – how precious and moving. Seeing each others’ eyes, even […]

I grew up at a large Conservative shul where I only ever saw men leading prayer and ritual. This was a time at our shul when girls could be called to the Torah on the day of their bat mitzvah, which was a pretty recent concession to the rabble-rousing feminists in the community, but rather […]

Listen for moment. Can you hear the shofar? Be still and take a slow breath – inhaling deeply, exhaling and emptying out. Can you hear it? You are being called. We have just begun the Hebrew month of Elul. It’s the month leading up to Rosh Hashana and the intensive […]

My sister is regularly my teacher. With a commitment to engaging in substantive steps toward reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, she has started a new practice when she leads workshops on Unconscious Bias (which she does regularly). Rather than sharing a Land Acknowledgement, she begins with a Pledge. The Pledge is an evolving statement of specific commitments to learning, […]

This Saturday night and Sunday, Jews around the world will stand at the foot of Mount Sinai together, listening. It is the holyday of Shavuot. Exactly seven weeks from the second night of Pesach, we celebrate the collective and communal experience of revelation and the giving of the Torah. This is a unique feature of […]

“Are we there yet?” I remember my own impatience as a child, traveling in the back seat of the car (or the back back seat of the 1976 Dodge Aspen Wagon) on family road trips, feeling such anticipation and excitement about the destination and so much frustration about the time it took to get there. […]

This year, when we sit at our Seder tables sharing the story and significance of our journey from oppression in Mitzrayim (ancient Egypt) to liberation, reflecting on our individual and collective movement from constriction (maytzar) to expansiveness, it is a potent moment to weave into our discussion, ritual and actions the plight of refugees around […]

Bearing witness is a moral act. While you and I don’t have the power to hault Putin’s military aggression against Ukraine, and while I feel quite powerless as the horrific events in Ukraine unfold, we have the ability and moral responsibility to bear witness to this assault – -to bear witness Putin’s use of […]