Rabbis Frimmer and Klein Miles discuss a provocative article from The New York Jewish Week, “20 Years In The Rabbinate: ‘They Didn’t Teach Me This In Rabbinical School’”, about the state of synagogues, rabbinic leadership and the ever-changing and challenging nature of Jewish communities. Tune in to hear what Isaiah clergy learned (and missed out on) in rabbinical school. Why do people join Isaiah? What do they expect from their clergy and community?

Years In The Rabbinate: ‘They Didn’t Teach Me This In Rabbinical School’ by Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove.

Rabbi Dara Frimmer - Friday Night Shabbat Sermon 5779 - In the wake of missiles, op-eds, and Israel's Independence Day, Rabbi Frimmer asks us to turn away from the headlines and look to Torah as our guide. The Holiness code instructs us to rebuke that which is wrong and the wrongdoers. At the same time, we cannot take vengeance or bear a grudge.

"This is the Holiness Code. It’s not a mirror. It’s not who we are right now. It’s a window, asking us to look out and see what we might aspire to be. At times, we are so far from the society described in the Torah. Still, we keep these verses close at hand. We read them once a year on Shabbat. We return to them during the Mincha service of Yom Kippur. They are the guiding words as we consider the start of a New Year - how do we hope to live? What society do we hope to create?

And it doesn’t say: when under attack, discard the code."

Rabbi Meyer delivers an inspiring and informative D'var Torah about the work of HIAS and the current crisis of policy, placement and discrimination facing refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants. What is the Jewish-American response to fear? Who do we want to be? Q & A from the community follows.

Rabbi Meyer currently serves as Rabbi-in-Residence at HIAS, where she develops educational materials, resources, and programs that educate American Jews about refugee issues, connecting the plight of contemporary refugees to Jewish values and history. To learn more about HIAS, click here: www.hias.org

Rabbi Dara Frimmer talks with Temple Isaiah’s Cantorial Soloist, Rabbi Jaclyn Cohen and her husband, CPA Joshua Cohen. Listen in for the dinner table conversations between an accountant and a rabbi, each addressing the challenge of helping people plan ahead. How can honesty, integrity, Jewish values and tradition help us to start hard conversations and do the necessary work to protect and care for our loved ones?
As you consider starting your own conversations, here are some additional resources provided by Josh:
CA Attorney General Office - End of Life Care Planning: oag.ca.gov/consumers/general/care
California Society of CPAs - Estate Literacy: www.calcpa.org/public-resources/…ncial-empowerment
American Bar Association - Estate Planning Guide: www.americanbar.org/groups/real_pro…state_planning/

How many of you joined Isaiah because you knew a Reform Jewish community on the Westside of LA would best represent your family’s spiritual needs and nurture a meaningful Reform Jewish Identity for you and your children? And how many of you joined for the preschool?

Rabbi Frimmer explores the moments Isaians first encounter Reform Judaism and the 2 types of reactions leading us to positive or negative associations with a tradition that privileges an openness to different interpretations, celebrates choice-through-knowledge, and professes faith in the ever-changing nature of tradition and the necessary evolution of practice.

Is Reform Judaism the slow, dilution of tradition or the necessary adjustments to keep an ancient practice relevant for each new generation to discover and inherit? Is it someone else’s Judaism…or is it yours?