Shofar’s cry inspires an accounting during Elul

By Student Rabbi Rocki Schy
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Elul is an intense month! We’re gearing up for the High Holy Days, and in order to prepare ourselves, we have certain rituals that we carry out during this time.

We perform teshuvah, the process of making amends to our fellow humans whom we have wronged during the course of the year.

We undertake a cheshbon hanefesh, an accounting of our souls, where we assess how we measured up during the year.

We look inward to determine where we excelled and where we fell short. We read Psalm 27, in which the psalmist asks to dwell with G-d. And, of course, we hear the shofar.

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Betsy asks: What are your talents?

By Betsy Frank
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As the academic year ends for our students in K-12 and college, I’ve started to think about all the hope and talents these students possess.

But developing talents doesn’t end with formal schooling.

So, what are your talents?

I know our congregation is filled with many talented people. First, Student Rabbi Rocki Schy offers succinct homilies, is a pro when reading Torah, and conducts well-organized and informative Torah studies.

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We’ve again counted the omer, recognizing the glory of freedom and the beauty of the Torah

By Student Rabbi Rocki Schy
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With Pesach and Shavuot now concluded, we’ve completed the period of the Jewish calendar during which we count the omer.

This ancient timekeeping mechanism finds new life each year as we number the days in between these two holidays. In ancient times, we used an actual omer — a piece of barley — to track the days between these chaggim, while worshipers traveled to the Temple.

Today, the counting of the omer is a more symbolic practice. We keep a mental tally, rather than a pile of barley.

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Speakers, audience, highlight acts of resistance in Yom HaShoah event at UHC sanctuary

By Debra Israel
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Thanks to Scott Skillman for organizing and to Ken Turetzky for emceeing such a meaningful Yom HaShoah program April 16 in our UHC sanctuary.

The theme of the program was not only remembrance of the Holocaust and other atrocities, but learning about acts of resistance, while encouraging us to continue to resist oppression in our world today.

It was so heartening to see the sanctuary filled with supportive community members coming together, actively taking a stand against antisemitism and racism.

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