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RABBI ZOË KLEIN MILES AT SOLIDARITY SHABBAT
Rabbi Zoë Klein Miles offers three reflections (kavanot) during Solidarity Shabbat. TEN COMMANDMENTS When I first learned the Ten Commandments, I was disappointed. The Israelites went through all that to learn not to murder? Really? Isn’t that obvious? Maybe not. HEALING Rabbi Klein Miles speaks about the Walking Wounded, the thousands who now move through the world with bullet wounds. ELEVEN ARE THE STARS In the Pesach song, “Who Knows One,” when it comes to the number “eleven”, the verse is: “Eleven are the stars.” The stars in the song refer to the stars in Joseph’s dream, but now, for us, eleven are the stars stand for those who were killed at Tree of Life synagogue: Joyce Feinberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil Rosenthal, David Rosenthal, Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Daniel Stein, Irving Younger, and Melvin Wax.
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS PRO/CON DISCUSSION ON NOVEMBER BALLOT PROPOSITIONS
Thea Brodkin from the League of Women Voters presents pro/con arguments for Propositions 1-6 and 10. Thanks to Janet Hirsch, VP of Community Affairs for Temple Isaiah, for arranging this session and for leading this year’s social justice efforts to create a more informed and engaged base of voters throughout Los Angeles. Note: After presenting on each proposition, Thea pauses to allow congregants and community members to share their thoughts and questions.
EVALUATING NOAH’S RIGHTEOUSNESS: STATIC OR DYNAMIC?
Rabbi Frimmer – Friday Night Shabbat Sermon 5779 – Rashi, an 11th century Torah commentator, lays out the two sides of the Noah debate: There are those among the sages who view Noah positively. Certainly, had he been living in a generation of just individuals, he would have been more just. And, yet, others view him negatively. Had he been living in the generation of Abraham he would have been considered worthless. In other words, either we’re static in our growth, or we rise higher when those around us are reaching, as well.
ANNA HOWARD SHAW’S “FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF A REPUBLIC”
#METOO BECOMES #WETOO
Ribbi Klein Miles – Kavanah – Friday Night Shabbat 5779 – When gender-based violence is considered a “women’s issue” instead of a “men’s issue,” we all lose.
PRIVILEGE, POWER, VULNERABILITY & VISIBILITY
Rabbi Frimmer – Friday Night Shabbat Sermon 5779 – In the emotional wake of the Ford-Kavanaugh hearings, Rabbi Frimmer shifts our focus from self to other, and offers the Lens of Sukkot to help us see those who live with impermanence, vulnerability, fragility, and exposure 24-7-365. Thanks to activist Dove Kent and congregant Jennifer Yashari for inspiring this post.
DISCUSSION WITH REP. TED LIEU (CONGRESSMAN FOR CA’S 33RD DISTRICT)
Yom Kippur Civic Engagement Discussion 5779 – Rep. Ted Lieu (Congressman for California’s 33rd District) talks about his ongoing efforts to restrict the use of nuclear weapons, limit the US military’s role in Yemen, and eliminate the money bail system. He then answers questions from Rabbi Frimmer and the Isaiah community addressing immigration, Citizens United, Israel, and Brett Kavanaugh. This talk took place at Royce Hall in between the Yom Kippur morning and afternoon services.
THIS IS NOT A SERMON: RECLAIMING THE POWER OF COMMUNAL STUDY
Yom Kippur Day 5779 – Co-Senior Rabbis Nickerson and Frimmer upend the traditional model of Yom Kippur sermons by inviting the Isaiah community to study together the story of Cain and Abel. [Genesis 4:1-16] Thank you to all our congregants who participated and shared their voices and interpretations.
PRAYING FOR SINNERS
Sermon – Day 2 Rosh Hashanah 5779 -Rabbi Dara Frimmer shares a provocative and timely teaching in the name of Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, who first taught this idea during Hartman’s Rabbinic Holiday Webinar, August 27, 2018. What if “sinners” are required for us to build ‘true’ community and to successfully elevate our prayers to God?
THE MAKING OF THE YOM KIPPUR YIZKOR VIDEO 5779 / 2018
Rabbis Frimmer, Nickerson, Klein Miles and Cantor Coyot discuss the making of the first-ever, Yom Kippur Yizkor video. The clergy discuss the origin of the idea, who signed up to share memories of their loved ones, and what Jewish tradition offers to help us mourn and remember.