Emanuel Congregation | Reform Jewish Synagogue

הִנֵּה מַה טוֹב וּמַה נָּעִים שֶׁבֶת אָחִים גַּם יַחַד Hinei mah tov u’mah naim, shevet achim gam yachad. How great and how pleasing it is for people to sit together in unity. Many of us have sung these words to various melodies throughout our lives. Over the past year and a half, I have sung them on countless Zooms, almost always on mute, of course. Most recently, I was fortunate enough to sing them in person, outside in nature, surrounded by campers, counselors, staff, an

At the beginning of the fifth book of our Torah, Deuteronomy (or Devarim in Hebrew), Moses delivers a series of sermons concerning the exploits of our forefathers and foremothers in the wilderness. This is a significant departure from the books of Exodus and Numbers where Moses’ primary responsibility was to be the transmitter of God’s words to the community. The children of Israel now stand poised on the other side of the Jordan-on the precipice of the land that God has give

Rabbi Emeritus Michael Zedek will return to the bima this fall to lead High Holy Day services at Emanuel Congregation for the first time in five years. “I am grateful for the opportunity to assist the Congregation, and that feeling of gratitude is the principal emotion of this moment,” he says. He and Cantor Shelly Friedman are developing a hybrid worship service—one that would be available both online and in person. “All of us need to deal with the experience of coming toget