Emanuel Congregation | Reform Jewish Synagogue

Dear Friends, I am writing these few lines immediately after a Zoom call with a number of rabbinic colleagues in the greater Chicago area. The reason for our "gathering" was to reflect on possible challenges and themes for the upcoming High Holy Days, which remarkably will soon be upon us. At least for me the event had elements of both sadness and gratitude. The sadness was in reflecting on Rabbi Marantz's decision, based on the needs of family, to leave Chicago in order to r

It is said that every Jewish soul stood at Sinai, born and not yet born, to witness the giving of the Torah. Imagine our consternation: a shaking mountain, thunder, lightning and the sound of the shofar blasting high above the din. What remains of that sacred encounter is TORAH, which is as resonant today as it was 3200 (give or take) years ago. But equally astounding, is that WE remain - a people driven by the principal belief in God’s oneness and our own divine spark. Judai

“Be strong, be strong and may we be strengthened” Many Hebrew words and phrases, just like most things in the world, are, of course, subject to interpretation. A phrase I've been reflecting on a lot lately is: chazak, chazak v’nitchazek: Be strong, be strong and may we be strengthened. Because, no doubt, what a time it is to be thinking of those words in literal terms. We are, after all, still grappling with a pandemic. With its arrival came racist and anti-semitic tropes abo

During Emanuel’s virtual Shabbat services on Friday nights and Saturday mornings, Rob Moss can often be heard reading the names of people the congregation wants to pray for during the Mi Shebeirach and the Kaddish. He is one of a handful of Emanuel volunteers who are using their tech skills to keep the congregation connected and Shabbat services running smoothly during the coronavirus pandemic. “Being a tech captain is a lot harder than it looks,” Rob explains. “There’s alway

Shalom Chevrei: I want to take this moment to reassure you that we will be working full-speed ahead in these last six weeks of my rabbinic leadership at Emanuel. I’ll be working closely with you, our staff, and our lay leaders to make sure we maximize our output in these coming days. In that spirit, I’d like to take a moment to focus on three matters of particular importance. Firstly, we have the opportunity to kick off another Melton class, and I’d like you to join me for on