All Posts

On January 10th of this year, a 19-year-old man drove to Jackson, Mississippi in the middle of the night, removed his license plates, broke a window, poured gasoline across the floors of a synagogue, and lit it on fire. He called the building the "synagogue of Satan." When he confessed to his father, he said he had "finally got them." He was talking about Jews. He was talking about us. Beth Israel Congregation is a Reform synagogue. It is the only synagogue in Mississippi's c

Purim, Pesach, and Packing   When I was in my first year of rabbinical school at Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion in Jerusalem , this time of year felt like the crest of a roller coaster just before the big drop. We were taught a phrase for it: Purim, Pesach, and Packing. Purim would arrive first, loud and irreverent, costumes everywhere, Megillot read aloud in public, Jerusalem briefly surrendering to joyful chaos. You’d barely finish shaking the last grogge

“In Honor of Shabbat, In Honor of Each Other” Beginning Friday, November 7, Temple Beth Sholom will begin our Erev Shabbat services at 6:30 pm. This new start time will continue through at least Passover, and we hope it becomes a rhythm that sustains us—not just in scheduling, but in spirit. Over the past few years, we have tried several different times for our Friday night services. Some of that was pandemic adaptation, some of its seasonal practicality, and some of it a res

The days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the most spiritually demanding stretch of the Jewish year. It’s not a time for...

In Pirkei Avot, Rabbi Tarfon teaches: “The day is short, the work is great, the laborers are idle, the reward is much, and the Master of...

On the penultimate day in May, Temple Beth Sholom will come together to celebrate Confirmation—our moment to honor young people who step...