Martin Luther King, Jr. Shabbat

By Rabbi Bill Kuhn

On Friday evening, January 15, 2010 at our 7:30 p.m. Shabbat Service, we will celebrate the national holiday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday.  In what has become an annual event at Rodeph Shalom, we will share one of the most meaningful interfaith services of our calendar year as we welcome Reverend Kevin Johnson and the Bright Hope Baptist Church.  Reverend Johnson will give the sermon that evening as we also welcome many members of his congregation and his choir.  Those of you who have heard him speak and have heard their magnificent choir know what an unforgettable experience this is. Continue reading

Open Tent Initiative

The “Open Tent Initiative” is a wonderful way to build a strong sense of community.

Congregation Rodeph Shalom (RS) recently won an award given by the Union for Reform Judaism (the umbrella organization for all of the Reform Jewish congregations in North America) for our “Open Tent Initiative.” This initiative asks every member of the congregation to do one (or more) of the following five acts:

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In Support of Israel

By Rabbi Bill Kuhn

Now is the time to support the State of Israel as never before.  As Israel is under existential threat on several fronts, it is the obligation of Jews around the world to speak up and to use every resource and means available to save our spiritual homeland.

Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, said in his Shabbat morning sermon at the Biennial convention in Toronto on November 7th, “When the history of Reform Judaism is written a century from now, its authors will ask…did we do enough to assure the security and well-being of the State of Israel?”

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Dr. Deborah Lipstadt

By Rabbi Bill Kuhn

 It is timely that we will welcome Dr. Deborah Lipstadt to Congregation Rodeph Shalom on Friday, November 13 at our 8:00 p.m. Shabbat Service, as this year’s Joseph J. & Lulu S. Rosenbluth Memorial Lecture guest speaker. Dr. Lipstadt is an internationally renowned expert and author on Holocaust denial. We have all heard with horror all of the publicity given Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who recently stole the election for the presidency of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He has repeatedly spread his lies that the Holocaust did not happen, and that he believes Israel should be wiped off the map. The fact that Iran is developing nuclear weapons is extremely frightening, in light of these statements and sentiments spewed by Ahmadinejad. One can only hope that President Obama and the world community can find a way to stop Iran’s efforts to destroy Israel before it is too late.

 Holocaust denial is nothing new, unfortunately. Dr. Lipstadt made a thorough study of this topic in her ground-breaking book, Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory (The Free Press, NYC, 1993).

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High Holy Day Obligations

By Rabbi William Kuhn

Apples and honey are perfect symbols for the beginning of the Jewish New Year, because the sweetness of the apples is intensified by the honey taste and texture, as we pray that our year will be equally as sweet.  Perhaps a more realistic flavor combination would be to pair a tart apple like a McIntosh or a Granny Smith with the honey, as it reflects a more Jewish attitude about life in general.  We know that life is never cloyingly sweet all the time, and it would be naïve for us to pray that our New Year would taste like a big bright Red Delicious apple 100% of the time.  We know that life is complex and filled with challenges, and there is plenty of tartness.  But during our High Holy Days we hope that whatever bitterness may lie ahead for us may be softened and diminished by the sweetness that we hold within our hearts.

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Summer Casual Services

By Rabbi William I. Kuhn

Our Friday night Summer Casual Services are off to a great start. These are one hour services, casual dress, fun atmosphere, great discussion topics, lots of RS members as well as lots of prospective members.

Our discussion topics for this summer are taken from the book, Your Word Is Fire, by Arthur Green and Barry Holtz. We study a brief poem that captures the essence of some of the Hasidic masters’ contemplations on prayer, and then we discuss its meaning in the context of our own Rodeph Shalom prayer service.

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