Rabbi Jill Maderer – Page 8

Shaping Judaism in the Jewish State: Vote for ARZA in WZO Elections

Learn here about voting for progressive Judaism in Israel in the WZO elections!

Since I was a child, I have heard the debate. Do American Jews have the right to voice our opinions on Israel? After all, we don’t send our children into the Israeli Army. (Well, most of us don’t.) Do you think we have the right to speak out about Israel? Are you unsure?

I suspect there are many in our congregation who are not certain what their relationship with Israel is, or should be. So many are engaging in Israel study in our Sunday morning sessions; and yet, so few have registered for our congregational trip to Israel, we may need to cancel it. (You can still sign up!) I know there are barriers of cost and safety concerns for some; but I wonder if there is also a barrier of emotional distance. Perhaps we are not sure whether Israel is a place for our voice, our passions, for our concerns. We might feel alienated by the state’s sponsorship of Orthodoxy or feel estranged by the occupation of the West Bank. Perhaps we just don’t know any Israelis, making it hard to relate beyond politics. We are not sure if Israel is ours.Continue reading

Black Lives Matter, All Live Matter: A Week Since the “Die-In”

by Rabbi Jill Maderer

It’s a week since I participated in a “Die-In” rally that, in the wake of the Ferguson and Staten Island grand jury decisions, was organized to stop post-game Eagles traffic for 4 1/2 minutes and give participants the chance to peacefully stand together against racism. The event was organized by POWER our multi-faith community organizing coalition of which RS is a part.

I am grateful to POWER for organizing such a peaceful, vision-filled event that promoted social change, justice, equality and collaboration. I am grateful for Rabbi Freedman’s leadership in our connection to POWER. And I am grateful to the Police for being a part of that collaboration. POWER had communicated with the police ahead of time, so the police were ready to protect and support us. The minute I came out of the subway station, an officer saw that I looked disoriented, and gave me directions to the corner where the 200 people were gathering for the rally. Only in America, Continue reading

A Sober Thanksgiving Story

Thank you to the leader of our Parents’ Support Group (2nd and 4th Tues’s), Richard Roisman, for offering wisdom to all who are seeking a sober Thanksgiving…

It was late November, 2006. Sarah, then 15, had been at Caron since September 15, 2006. She was, therefore, in adolescent extended care, and we had been through the Family Education Program. While we had been able to take her from Caron for a few hours at a time a couple of times over the couple of months she had been there, she had not yet earned a homestay from treatment. Thanksgiving was to be her first day out of rehab.

LifeEdited: What in Your Life Really Matters?

When you move from one home to another, how long does it take until you unpack the final box? Has that last box ever just remained packed, tape still in-tact, perhaps ready for the next move? What’s in there?!

A few weeks ago, much of our Rodeph Shalom staff moved to a different floor or to a different side of the hallway, into temporary office space, to allow for the next stages of renovation and construction. Although I am almost all unpacked, 3 boxes are still staring at me from the floor. I have to wonder: if I have survived for almost a month without their contents, how important could they be?

In an effort to teach simplicity and sustainability, Graham Hill, founder of LifeEdited, lives in an apartment, with over 1,000 square feet of functionality, in only 420 square feet. The bed folds into the wall, the coffee table becomes the dining room table, and a wall of drawers slides over to reveal guest beds folded into another wall… LifeEdited provides products, spaces and tips on how you can have more time, money and happiness with less stuff, less space and less waste.Continue reading

A Snapshot of Life in Tel Aviv Today: From Our Congregant Stacey Spector

Thank you to Stacey Spector for sharing this descriptive piece about her current stay in Israel.

Shalom from Tel Aviv: It is Saturday morning, and our fifth day in Israel. What is clearly different this morning from any other day of the week is the absolute stillness of the streets and the lack of jack hammering on the endless construction projects in Tel Aviv (“TA”). Apparently, there is a running joke among Israelis that the national bird is now the “crane” (as opposed to the bird). Israelis’ weekend consists of Friday and Saturday so everything is closed today, and we are about to embark on a walking tour of Bauhaus buildings, of which there are many (at least 4000 built in the 30’s and 40’s by German architects who emigrated to what was then Palestine). Continue reading

Learn with Rhonda Fink-Whitman about Her Advocacy of New Holocaust Education in PA

What is your response to the anti-Semitism in our history and in today’s world? Perhaps the most important Jewish response is to begin with learning. On Sunday, Nov. 9 at 3:00 pm at Rodeph Shalom, in observance of Krystallnacht, Night of the Broken Glass, the series of coordinated attacks against the Jews throughout Germany and Austria on Nov. 9, 1938, we will join together and learn with Rhonda Fink-Whitman author of 94 Maidens and successful advocate for Holocaust education in PA was passed in Pennsylvania recommending that Holocaust education be taught in all public, charter and cyber schools. A trip to Germany uncovered the horrible truth about what happened to her mother during WW II and she felt that it was her responsibility to tell the story as she does in 94 Maidens. Together, we will deepen our understanding and glean inspiration from her advocacy.

There is no charge so please bring a sweet to be served with tea. Please rsvp to Julia Erlichman: juliadiane501@gmail.com. Thank you to the RS Women for bringing us together for this important discussion!

If Worry Comes to Your Heart: Anxiety, Control and Noah

Shabbat sermon delivered 10/24/14.

We just bought our Halloween candy for next week’s trick-or-treaters. (I haven’t quite finished it yet.). Bags of mini candy bars take me back: Do you remember the 80’s, and the freak reports of razor blades in bags of candy? Suddenly, the world was out to kill America’s children. No longer could we accept homemade cookies or apples, lest they be poisoned–by my neighbors, in suburban New Jersey! And no longer could we go home and pop a chocolate bar in our mouths. No, we had to wait for my mother to pull out the cutting board and the cleaver, and chop through, to check for razor blades, so that we could then enjoy our Kit-kat sawdust.

What do we need in order to feel secure? How much worry is too much worry? How do we balance our caution and our trust? Continue reading

Understanding Israel and Engaging Together

Learn with us in our new course: Israel Engagement: Past, Culture, and How We Got to Today, starting this Sunday at 10:15 am at RS. We will meet Sundays, October 26-March 15 at Rodeph Shalom; Attend one, many or all; 10:15 am-11:15 am , except where noted as second session or double session until 12:15pm. Syllabus below.

“For two thousand years, Jews worldwide yearned for a return to Zion, ending every Sedar with “Next year in Jerusalem.” Continue reading

Character Virtues in Everyday Life: Mussar Scholar Alan Morinis Speaks Wed., Oct 22 at 7:00 pm at RS

Our actions become our habits; our habits become our character; our character becomes our soul. Check out this short film The Science of Character to ignite your own process of character development. To begin to understand what Judaism teaches us about how to treat ourselves and others, and how to elevate our characters–our souls– in the process, (as discussed in my Yom Kippur morning sermon) join us when Mussar scholar Alan Morinis speaks Wed., Oct. 22 at 7:00 pm at RS. All are welcome. Thank you to the Dr. Bernard and Rose Susan Hirschhorn Behrend Fund for sponsoring!

Periodic Table of Character Strengths from Tiffany Shlain’s film The Science of Character and letitripple.org

To Just Sit: A Spiritual Mindfulness Message on Yom Kippur Afternoon

Were you able to find a seat ok? You may have noticed that when you enter this early part of the Yom Kippur afternoon service, it’s easy to find a place to sit! Nestled between the crowds of Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur morning, and the crowds that will soon arrive for Yizkor and Neilah, this afternoon service tends to be our quieter moment of the day. And yet, here you are. Perhaps you are drawn here because your family has always made Yom Kippur a full-day experience. Perhaps you need a place to wait out the fast. Perhaps you are avoiding slicing tomatoes back at your house, where your family is preparing to host a break-fast. And perhaps you are here, to soak up every last potential opportunity, for introspection on Yom Kippur.

I’d like to consider with you, the role of introspection, in these hours of Yom Kippur, and beyond. What does it mean, to sit in reflection? Continue reading