615 N. Broad St. Philadelphia, PA 19123 | 215.627.6747
615 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19123 | 215.627.6747
For this summer’s sermons, we’d like to incorporate your perspectives. The clergy will pose a question at the beginning of each week. Your responses to the question will help inform the sermon for that week.
Please respond to the August 29 sermon topic: “Have you ever found extraordinary moments in ordinary experiences? Describe the moment.Have you ever found extraordinary moments in ordinary experiences? Describe the moment.”
Lee Stanley is remembered for keeping traditions alive at RS. Mike Newall of the Philadelphia Inquirer (August 19, 2014) wrote: “To the members of Congregation Rodeph Shalom, Lee Stanley was a keeper of history – a beloved, rumpled man who wore a straggly beard and oversize suits, and kept at his enthusiastic recall an unmatched knowledge of the congregation’s musical tradition. In his earnest way, fellow congregants say, Stanley could pluck from his mind details most others had long forgotten – or never thought to preserve: the precise date the congregation changed the melody for a particular song or tinkered with the Hebrew phrasing of a prayer.”
Do you have a memory of Lee that you would like to share?
For this summer’s sermons, we’d like to incorporate your perspectives. The clergy will pose a question at the beginning of each week. Your responses to the question will help inform the sermon for that week.
Please respond to the August 22 sermon topic: “Have you ever carried around a grudge or a feeling that did not allow you to move forward completely? Have you ever let go of such a feeling?”
For this summer’s sermons, we’d like to incorporate your perspectives. The clergy will pose a question at the beginning of each week. Your responses to the question will help inform the sermon for that week.
Please respond to the August 15 sermon topic: “What are your ideas about aging with dignity? How do you find the true meaning and purpose in life as you grow older?”
For this summer’s sermons, we’d like to incorporate your perspectives. The clergy will pose a question at the beginning of each week. Your responses to the question will help inform the sermon for that week.
Please respond to the August 1 sermon topic: “Besides your physical house/apartment/condo, where and when do you feel at home? What is it about these other places/times that elicit feelings of comfort, safety and family?”
For this summer’s sermons, we’d like to incorporate your perspectives. The
clergy will pose a question at the beginning of each week. Your
responses to the question will help inform the sermon for that week.
Please respond to the August 1 sermon topic: “When have you experienced a connection to Israel (the land, the people, the state) that surprised you? Describe the moment.”
Rodeph Shalom congregants joined pro-Israel supporters Wednesday for an Israel solidarity rally.
The rally was organized by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. There were speeches from Elad Strohmayer, Israel’s deputy consul general to the mid-Atlantic region; state Sen. Anthony Williams; Federation President Sherrie Savett and CEO Naomi Adler; Josh Shapiro, chairman of the Montgomery County Commission; and Risa Vetri Ferman, Montgomery County’s district attorney.
From the Jewish Exponent: “The crowd brought together a diverse group of pro-Israel supporters from across the region, including some non-Jewish advocates. A mix of Orthodox and non-Orthodox, young and old waved Israeli flags and holding signs that said “We Stand With Israel” and “What if rockets targeted your city all year long?”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/FUsK4vrS7rI?hl=en_US&version=3&rel=0]
Our discussion on the blog this week was inspired by the question, “What song or piece of music makes you think differently or think deeply?” Some individuals mentioned a particular song and some mentioned a particular text. All talked about how the music makes them think. Two ideas emerged over again.
From Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President URJ
These have been heavy, heady days. With the escalation of violence in Israel, the Israel Defense Forces have launched Operation Protective Edge, calling up IDF reservists for active duty and amassing troops along the Gaza border. Israel has already had to deploy the Iron Dome.
A number of our Reform Jewish summer programs are on the ground in Israel, including NFTY-EIE, Kesher Taglit-Birthright, Mitzvah Corps, and congregational trips. We have been in constant contact with group leaders and with participants’ families and will continue to closely monitor the situation. At this time, everyone is safe and – Adonai yishmor tzeitam u’vo’am – may God protect their comings and goings.
As I write to you, Israel prepared for another night of rocket fire from Gaza. Residents of Ashkelon, Ashdod, Be’er Sheva, Tel Aviv, Beit Shemesh, Ra’anana, and so many other cities will be keeping close to bomb shelters this Shabbat. Sirens are expected to continue to blast warnings as Hamas continues to launch hundreds of rockets at targets in the Negev and throughout the center of Israel. Daily life in Israel will continue to be uprooted.
This is our time to come together as a community to show our solidarity with the people of Israel and the IDF. In the coming days, we will share with you information about the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism and the Israel Religious Action Center’s joint campaign to end racist rhetoric, as well as efforts to provide humanitarian aid to our congregations in Israel.
But we can help now.
As we did two years ago, the Reform Movement has joined in partnership with the Conservative Movement and Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) to raise and distribute funds to provide emergency aid and alleviate the pain and suffering of our Israeli brothers and sisters. We can’t stop the rockets or silence the sirens – but we can try to soften their impact on the lives of the children and families living under their blare. Please visit JewishFederations.org/StoptheSirens to join this community-wide effort.
This Shabbat, as we keep Israel in our hearts and in our minds, let us say together these words: “Oseh shalom bimromav, hu ya’aseh shalom aleynu, v’al kol Yisrael v’al kol Yoshvei Teiveil ve’imru amen, may the One who makes peace in the high heaves make peace for us, all Israel, and all who inhabit the earth.” Amen.
At times such as these, we feel especially connected to our people in Israel and worldwide. I hope you will join me in contributing to this critical joint effort.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rick Jacobs Signature
Rabbi Rick Jacobs
For this summer’s sermons, we’d like to incorporate your perspectives. The
clergy will pose a question at the beginning of each week. Your
responses to the question will help inform the sermon for that week.
Please respond to the question for Friday July 18: “What song or piece of music (secular or religious) makes you think differently or think deeply?”
