Working With Fear

by Judy Vogel David Glaser and I have been exploring various approaches to keeping our spirits healthy and positive during these months of Covid 19. Particularly powerful has been our daily reading of Rabbi Shefa Gold’s sermon on dealing with fear. Each morning when we awaken and before getting out of bed, we snuggle down Continue Reading »

Thoughts from our New Co-President

by Eileen Singleton, CJC Co-President About a year ago, when I signed up to work on the blog for June 2020, I thought the timing would be good since I would have just become the co-president, and I could write about my thoughts on that. But lately I’ve been thinking a lot about all of Continue Reading »

Human Rights with Rabbi Sonya Starr

Rabbi Starr participated in a Podcast before Shavuout. Because it was recorded earlier, there is no mention of the current political unrest. Click here to listen to the Podcast. Arlene J.M. Grant, Esq,, the host of GOD & Matter interviewed Rabbi Sonya Starr regarding Human Rights. Rabbi Starr is a graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Continue Reading »

Standing Up for Racial Justice and Against Racial Violence

by Rabbi Sonya Starr Forgive me for not responding to the horrific circumstances in the last week sooner. There have been so many Jewish and non-Jewish people and organizations (including the Reconstructionist community) sending out powerful communications about how horrified, saddened, and frightened we are. I did not want to add to the noise. The Continue Reading »

CJC in the Beginning

by Pearl Laufer Long before the coronavirus hit us, I had signed up to write a blog – to be ready in May ‘20 – on the very earliest days of CJC, starting at the very beginning in late 1969. I began by making a list of people I wanted to interview, people who were Continue Reading »

Countdown to Passover (4)

As I typed weeks ago, the rabbis encouraged us to spend the month between Purim and Passover preparing for Passover. I don’t need to tell you how much life has changed in this one month. In my weekly blogs regarding Passover preparations I have focused on the how. How do we set the table? How Continue Reading »

Countdown to Passover (3)

As we move closer and closer to Passover, it is getting harder and harder for me to really plan for this important holiday. I have never wanted Passover to go away before. I love Passover. Since I can remember celebrating this holy day as a child, I would look forward to it. As an adult, Continue Reading »

Countdown to Passover (2)

I don’t remember reporters discussing surfaces as much as they have in the last week – which surfaces are porous, to which ones can this virus attach. The rabbis taught that the table replaces the altar. It is our vessel for communicating with Gd. There is no holiday that represents this more than Passover. What Continue Reading »

Countdown to Passover

Judaism celebrates gifts of time, marks time, and prepares for holy times. As we all struggle to find normality in these difficult times, our tradition reminds us that above all else, time is the finest gift we have. We spend the month of Elul getting ready for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. We spend the Continue Reading »

Jewish Perspective on Being Transgender

by Rabbi Sonya Starr Over a year ago, Columbia Jewish Congregation began its in-depth discussion about gender identities, and soon after I was asked to prepare a talk about the Jewish perspective on being transgender and gender non-binary. As I was reading through all this material, there were three personal memories that kept coming back Continue Reading »

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