In one of Michael Hauptman’s Yom Kippur speeches, he recalled the story of the building that was made without light fixtures, so that each member of the community would feel compelled to bring their own lamp. Mike, thank you for bringing your contributions—your lamp. Your gift to our congregation is...
Thank you, Michael, for your kind introduction and for serving as my mentor and guide throughout this last year, helping, along with Rabbi Maderer, to prepare me for this role. I believe I now have a more complete understanding of my role, and, from what I’ve seen, if I can...
Good evening and welcome to the 2020 Annual Meeting of Congregants. While the format for this meeting may feel a little different than in the past, the purpose remains the same: to present and review the highlights of this past year, to introduce an agenda for the year to come,...
Don’t Act on Fear: Catherine Fischer’s Torah in Honor of Her Retirement delivered by Rabbi Maderer When, almost 2 decades ago I came to know Catherine Fischer, she was working at the Union for Reform Judaism’s then regional office as the part-time coordinator of Outreach. I remember our 1st phone...
Catherine and I first met over coffee at the Starbucks at 16th & Arch in January 2008. She was the newly hired Membership Director, and I was Membership Chair. We discussed the broader points of synagogue membership and our visions for membership at Rodeph Shalom. It was the start of...
On behalf of the Congregation, thank you Catherine and Richard for your amazing gift—establishing and funding the Community Engagement Innovation Fund. We’re here to celebrate and honor Catherine for all she’s done for our Community and for each of us here, and it is so Catherine to give us a...
Hello. Hello. As you are settling in, finding your people, your table and getting your food, I want to not only officially welcome you all to this stunning Celebrating of Catherine, and also to thank each and every one of you here for making this a true Community endeavor, one...
Rabbi Freedman delivered this sermon at Shabbat evening service on January 31. We are still in Egypt. In this week’s Torah portion, we learn about the final three plagues, and Pharaoh ultimately agreeing to release the Israelites from bondage. But, for now, we are still in Egypt for one more...
Delivered by Rabbi Jill Maderer at Shabbat service on 1/3/2020. The lights of Hanukkah now dim, I can see as clearly as ever, how desperately the world needs our light. I have been outraged to witness American Jews attacked in antisemitic acts on every night of Hanukkah and beyond. And I...
By Doug Rosenblum, Chair of the Rodeph Shalom Gun Violence Prevention Task Force In the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy in 2012, the clergy of Rodeph Shalom convened a series of meetings to provide a forum for grieving and constructive thought on stemming gun violence in our country. Those...
