Emanuel Congregation | Reform Jewish Synagogue

The following Drash was delivered by past-president Steve Baron in honor of his Bar Mitzvah sidra Ki Tetze. We are grateful to Steve and all the wonderful volunteers who have shared their time and treasure with us. My bar mitzvah took place forty-six years ago, on August 16, 1975 - Parsha Ki Tetze in the Book of Deuteronomy. I still remember my maftir and could probably chant it in my sleep if prompted in the right way. Certainly, if Cantor Shalom Markovits tip-toed into my b

Students returning to Emanuel Congregation Religious School this fall will find a new approach to learning, initiated by Education Director Mandy Herlich, to help children adjust to in-person classes. “On Sundays, we are focusing heavily on community this year,” Mandy explains. “As it will be our only in-person day of ECRS and our homecoming after a year of remote learning, I really want to emphasize how good it is to be together.” After the all-ages family service on Sunday

Just a few weeks ago we chanted the Sh’ma for the 2nd time in our Torah cycle-considered to be the central statement of monotheistic belief. By its declaration alone, one would believe that the children of Israel were strictly monotheists. But not so fast. For one, there are ambiguities on how one translates the words of the Sh’ma themself. One rendering is "Hear, O Israel! Adonai is our God! Adonai is One!” But those same words could also be translated as: "Hear, O Israel! A

You know that feeling when you are angry, and it is hard to let it go? We all know anger can negatively affect our physical and mental being, our professional and personal relationships, and so much more. When I read this week’s Torah portion, to me, it spoke directly to this topic and reinforced some important points that are important to remember. The sentences that caught my attention were: “If a man is guilty of a capital offense and is put to death, and you impale him on