By Rabbi Josh Beraha I love this time of year. The High Holiday season opens before us as a season of possibility, a moment when Jewish tradition invites us back to basics. We speak of cheshbon hanefesh—an accounting of the soul. It is the work of honest return. We ask not only who we are, Continue Reading »
By Rabbi Dr. Kari Tuling Shalom to all of you, dear members of Temple Micah. I have spent the summer getting to know many of you while also preparing for the High Holidays and the coming year. It has already been a rewarding experience, and I appreciate the warm welcome I have received. As we Continue Reading »
Looking to make an online donation? Click here to access our online wish list– available through the end of October 2025. By Martha Ransohoff Adler As Micah grows and evolves, so does our annual collection of undergarments for Friendship Place. This year, instead of the collection being guided by one class from the Machon, the Continue Reading »
August 2025 Dear Friends, We are in agony as we continue to confront the staggering and relentless costs of war borne by the people of Israel and the people of Gaza. Last week, we marked Tisha B’Av – a day set aside to commemorate and reflect on the long history of destruction and trauma experienced Continue Reading »
By Steven R. Weisman If music is “proof of the existence of God,” as Kurt Vonnegut Jr. said, music has long been central to the worship experience at Temple Micah. Rabbi Healy Slakman’s arrival two years ago as Director of Spiritual Arts ushered in bold innovations, building on Micah’s beloved music traditions. It would be Continue Reading »
By Martha Ransohoff Adler Along with all of Temple Micah, Machon Micah is going through changes this year, as Director of Education Sharon Tash retires and Mckinley Edelman (currently Assistant Director of the Machon) is joined by Rabbi Samantha Frank as co-directors of the Machon. Alison Litvin, Assistant Director of Education, will continue to provide Continue Reading »
By Rabbi Daniel G. Zemel Retiring has inspired me to think about what I have been doing at Micah these many years. I don’t mean the obvious things: leading prayer, officiating at lifecycle moments, teaching, sermonizing, meeting (many meetings), writing Vine letters, and everything else that might go into a rabbinical job description. I am Continue Reading »
We are Here May 22, 2025 Nora Feinstein Waking up To the news Once again But closer Hatred — The stuff of history books And museums And headlines Unfolding Here Once again Tell the Ancestors that This chain will be Unbroken Strong and Sacred, Miraculous and Enduring — This Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, As the festival of Passover begins tomorrow evening, I wanted to share with you all that Temple Micah has signed on to an amicus brief on behalf of Tufts University graduate student, Rümeysa Öztürk, a citizen of Turkey who was arrested by immigration officials two weeks ago. As you have all undoubtedly read Continue Reading »
By Betsy Broder No, not Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder scheming a Broadway flop, but those who labor behind the scenes at Temple Micah and make things happen. During this year of celebrating Rabbi Zemel, Louise and the entire Zemel family, the producers of our marquee events have delivered hit after hit, and will continue Continue Reading »
By Rabbi Josh Beraha They say a sermon shouldn’t introduce something entirely new, and that a preacher’s role is not to surprise, but to remind or inspire. That’s the meaning of the phrase “preaching to the choir,” because, presumably, the choir already knows the message. But the truth is, the choir still needs to remember Continue Reading »
By Sharon Tash, Director of Education Things have changed for Jewish education in 2025 yet they remain recognizable. Once upon a time, students came multiple times a week to religious school (yes, even schools affiliated with the Reform movement). Classes were dull and teachers drilled Hebrew so that students could learn to recite liturgy. Most Continue Reading »
By Rielle Miller Gabriel Since Rabbi Zemel announced his retirement last January, many members of our community have been working together to make this last year a special one for Rabbi Zemel and our whole Temple Micah community. We started the year with a panel, “The Future of the American Synagogue,” in September 2024. Rabbi Continue Reading »
January 21, 2025 Dear Friends, There are times when history seems to come at us in waves. On Sunday, we wept with joy as Emily Damari, Romi Gonen, and Doron Steinbrecher went from captivity to freedom. We watched families reunited. The words we teach, that saving a life is the equivalent of saving an entire Continue Reading »
By Rabbi Daniel G. Zemel The approaching Days of Awe are like no others in my memory. The past year was without doubt the most challenging and painful year for world Jewry since World War II. I will not list here the travails that have befallen Israel since October 7. We all know they are Continue Reading »
by Shelley Fidler They work with two refugee families. They support a HIAS paralegal and are recruiting pro bono lawyers to assist asylum seekers. They are exploring new partnerships with refugee organizations in the area. Who are these people? They are members of Sukkat Shalom — Temple Micah’s Shelter of Peace — who want to Continue Reading »
By Steven R. Weisman Every path to the commitment required of a rabbinical student is unique, but the one taken by Evan Traylor is especially unusual. Evan came of age in Oklahoma City, where his family’s small Reform synagogue was established in 1903, four years before Oklahoma became a state. “My religious school class was Continue Reading »
A Letter from North American Jews to the Israeli Government Dear Friends, On behalf of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, I am inviting you to sign a letter from North American Jews to the Israeli Government: Make a Deal Now to Bring the Hostages Home, End the War. As Rabbi Jacobs, CEO of Continue Reading »
Dear Friends, I wanted to share with you this letter from T’ruah: Rabbis for Human Rights to President Biden about the current situation in Israel. I am honored to currently serve as chairman of the T’ruah Board of Directors. For more information on T’ruah, please see truah.org. Shalom, Rabbi Daniel G. Zemel March 2024 President Joe Biden The Continue Reading »