SPECIAL EVENT: Deepening Our Conversations on Israel & Palestine 

Since October 7, it’s gotten harder and harder to have civil conversations about Israel & Palestine with people who don’t share our views. For some Jews the issues of the day are black and white, for many others they are a rainbow of grays. Either way, you’ve likely felt uncomfortable at some time since this Read More

Notes on Being a Moderate Jewish Leader in this Moment

– Jodi Kushins, KSS Board Chair I try not to start blog posts with excuses. I often type and then delete things like, “I’ve tried to start this post ten times.” On a typical day it would be boring and somewhat of a forgone conclusion. Writing is work – it takes time, it’s about starting Read More

Preparing for the 5784 High Holy Days of Awe: Week 7

Chesed: Channeling Love for Ourselves, Each Other, and the Worldby Debra Seltzer  NOTE: This is the 7th and final post in a series written by KSS members linking social and environmental justice issues to the 7 sephirot of the Omer cycle. To read the past six posts, please check our blog archive.  We have come to the last week of Read More

Preparing for the 5784 High Holy Days of Awe: Week 6

NOTE: This is the 6th in a series of posts written by KSS members linking social and environmental justice issues to the 7 sephirot of the Omer cycle. To read the past five posts, please check our blog archive.  WEEK 6: Gevurah: May My Left Hand Share Its Cunning by Jan Leibovitz Alloy  I don’t tweet. I don’t boast photos Read More

Preparing for the 5784 High Holy Days of Awe: Week 3

WEEK 3: Being Anti-Racist:  Learning from the Sephira Hod – Humility/Gloryby Debra Seltzer  For those of you who read my post in week one, about Israel-Palestine, I left some threads that connect to this week of introspection. I wrote that “the United States is my own country, with its own challenges which I am committed Read More

Preparing for the 5784 High Holy Days of Awe: Week 2

WEEK TWO:  Yesod (Foundation) and the Environment by Doug Calem  For humans, the earth is the yesod — the foundation — that supports life. One might say that recorded history is also a record of our relationship with and attitude towards the earth. Most of the historical record reveals a belief that we are separate Read More

A different kind of Chanukah Light. Tending Hope for Reparations

This past weekend, KSS Vice President Cheryl Lubow voted “yes” on behalf of our kehilah in a meeting of the Reconstructing Judaism Plenum, a group representing all the congregations and chavurot affiliated with the movement. The vote was in support of a movement-wide resolution calling for study, reflection, discussion, and action around reparations (click here Read More

Marking Time, Making Community

The Jewish people have survived millennia by recreating our traditions and rituals. Sukkat Shalom is blessed to be dually-inspired towards this goal through our connections with Reconstructing Judaism and ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal. Reconstructionism teaches us that Judaism is an evolving civilization. As such it is our duty as Jews to find ways to Read More