By Glenn Silverman Covid has changed everything. I’ve lived through the Cuban missile crisis, the assassination of John Kennedy, civil rights unrest, Vietnam war protests on the home front, the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr, Watergate, and 9-11. They were all traumatic, but a global pandemic – that’s historic. And I […]
Author Archive | Temple Beth Sholom
Echoes of Elul, Day 13: Tales of Long Branch
By Liz Cohen When I think of the last year and a half, I am amazed at all our collective resilience. And yet sometimes I am thunderstruck by my utter lack of preparedness for an event such as a worldwide pandemic. I consider myself a well-educated person who certainly, from a historical point of view, […]
Echoes of Elul, Day 12: Return
By Dan Weissberg How not to sound trite or cliche; that’s the dilemma I face as I write this short message for Echoes of Elul. How do I convey my ideas without drifting into tired rhetoric; that’s my goal. My topic is the return to our sanctuary for the High Holy Day services – our […]
Echoes of Elul, Day 11: On a summer afternoon…..
By Nancy Silverman It was the end of a summer’s day and I was on the driveway with my grandchildren Jake, 7 years old, and Grace, 4 years old, shooting baskets against the backboard that hung against the garage roof. After a few minutes of play, the basketball became lodged between the roof and the […]
Echoes of Elul, Day 10: Re Entry
Barbara Swartz It has been such a busy year. What have I accomplished? Did I clean out my closets, organize my garage, read books, visit friends, and take long walks? None of the above. I stayed home. My friends know I don’t phone very often, and I am not a Facebook follower. I have always […]
Echoes of Elul, Day 9: Experiencing the Magic
By Scott J. Friedman I woke at 4:23 a.m. with the feeling my attack parrot needed something. As I staggered toward the cage, I stepped bare foot on a sea of seeds and shells she had thrown on the floor to ensure I knew she wanted new food and water. I did not see the […]
Echoes of Elul, Day 8: Furever Yours
By Cantor David Reinwald My 18.5-year-old black tuxedo cat, Millie, lived in more states than most humans. Five to be exact, and six different homes in her lifetime. I wasn’t supposed to even have her. On a cold day in January, 2003, my friend Rachael and I went to a cat adoption event at the […]
Echoes of Elul, Day 7: Lessons from my Family
By Steffanie Belasco Every year as Rosh Hashanah approaches, I am flooded with childhood memories. I feel grateful that I have these memories as they remind me that my parents, brother, and dear grandmother are a part of me. I find myself reaching for those memories when I am uncertain about something. I ask myself, […]
Echoes of Elul, Day 6: Ben Outside the Box
By Ingrid Rothman Once upon a time, long ago, I was a student nurse at Mount Sinai Hospital School of Nursing in Manhattan. One of my friends who was a fellow student, kept trying to introduce me to her friend, Ben. One Sunday afternoon, Ben came to the dorm unexpectedly with our mutual friend. This […]
Echoes of Elul, Day 5: It’s In Our Hands
By Bill Vaughter I’m standing on the shoulders of the ones who came before me. I find this phrase to be an inspiration as well as a responsibility. Our friend’s father died just hours before our oldest son, Jordan, was born. His son, Fred, always felt a special bond with Jordan. He saw Jordan as […]