January 14, 2015 | General News

We are excited to introduce to you our new senior leadership team for youth and family education at Central Synagogue. Effective July 1, Rabbi Rebecca Rosenthal will become our Director of Youth & Family Education, a new position reflecting our belief that our education programs for families with children of all ages, up to the end of college, require highly experienced and focused leadership.

January 14, 2015 | General News

Elections in Israel are approaching in March. But this year, every Jew in the world can cast a vote to influence the life of Israel. Approximately every five years, the World Zionist Congress (WZC) runs an election and every Jew in the world is allowed to make their vote count. Join me today in helping support Reform values, women’s rights, and religious pluralism by voting for ARZA, the Reform Jewish platform, in the WZC election that begins today.

January 13, 2015 | General News

In 1946 President Harry S. Truman sent a letter to our Rabbi Jonah B. Wise at the time of Central's 100th anniversary praising our efforts to assist Europe's World War II displaced persons. A world situation where "tyranny extinguishes the freedom of one it extinguishes the freedom of all" (quoting from the letter) is very much on the current national agenda. It is good to know that Central's past concern for the peoples of the world is still one of our great concerns, and that we remain in the awareness of the White House.

January 12, 2015 | General News

We are delighted to share some exciting news with you to start off 2015. We are pleased to announce that Rabbi Stephanie Kolin will join Central Synagogue as an Associate Rabbi, effective July 1, 2015, working alongside Rabbi Buchdahl, Cantor Glazman, Cantor Cadrain, Rabbi Lorge, and Rabbi Salth.

January 8, 2015

We are horrified and saddened by the recent terrorist events unfolding in France—including the shootings at the French newspaper Charlie Hebdo and in a kosher supermarket, and the killing of police.

We mourn the loss of innocent lives and pray for a safe and speedy recovery for the hostages. It is hard to fathom a hatred that would lead to such senseless violence and destruction. And it is a sacrilege to justify violence of this kind in the name of religion.

Our prayers go out to the hostages, the victims and their families. We will honor their memory tonight at Shabbat services and we will pray for peace in a world that so desperately needs it.

Shabbat Shalom,

The Clergy of Central Synagogue