"Where do you belong? What communities are you a part of? How do you know that you really are a welcome member of any group, be it your family, your nation, your church or synagogue? Those questions are always relevant, but perhaps never as poignant as when a nation goes to war. As you look at the striking poster inscribed with the words, “United Behind the Service Star,” note that the organizations listed range from Jewish to Evangelical Christian to Catholic.

"What kind of hair do you have? Do you have long hair, short hair, or no hair at all? If you have hair, what color is it? Is it brown, blonde, white, black, green, red, purple, or something else? What style is your hair? Is it thin, thick, wavy, straight, or curly? Do you have dreadlocks, a mohawk, peyos? Do you show your hair or keep it covered? To what extent does your hairstyle demonstrate affiliation with a particular social/cultural group, or distinction from a group?

"The Jewish festival of Shavuot – the Feast of Weeks – celebrates the encounter between God and the people of Israel at Mount Sinai. As described in the Biblical book of Exodus the newly freed children of Israel receive the Ten Commandments, establish a covenant with God, and become a holy nation – a distinctive, set apart people, committed to live as a model of justice and righteousness.

Janet R. Kirchheimer’s poem, The Olympics Return to Germany, 1972, appears in Adanna Literary Journal. The issue, Women and War, honors the legacy of poet Adrienne Rich who passed away in March 2012. Ms. Rich has stated that “war is an absolute failure of imagination.”


Read the poem...

From Clal

Suicide rates among middle-aged Americans have risen sharply in the past decade for a variety of reasons. Rabbi Hirschfield says faith can help. Imagine if our faith traditions put dogma and practice behind a central test of whether the faith helps alleviate human despair both within and without the community? What if the true measure of a faith was how well it makes this world we live in a place of greater hope and meaning?

Clal Resident Tzemah Yoreh, Ph.D. has published the first book in his Biblical Narrative (Kernel to Canon) Series. In Jacob’s Journey he relates ‘ chart the development of biblical narrative, which I believe began with a coherent kernel, an original Bible, if you will, and developed through successive additions into the story we have today.

"On the large wall on the 2nd floor as you cross the atrium there is an astonishing array of photos. Older people and young people, the famous and the unknown, men and women, converts and Jews from birth, people of all races, people of a variety of professions. Already on our journey though the history of American Jews, we are compelled to stop here and take notice. We are reminded that there are real people involved in the narratives of history...."

"...In spite of all the extraordinary technological progress that has taken place since disruptive innovation theory was first posited in 1997 (Innovator's Dilemma, Christensen) certain domains have proved to be quite resistant or slow to adopt change. We have observed that these slow-to-change domains such as education, healthcare, religion, conflict resolution, the environment, politics and the military to name a few represent some of the most critical areas waiting to be disrupted.

Clal Resident Tzemah Yoreh, Ph.D. has just published the first book in his Humanist Prayer Series. In A Love Song for Shabbat he attempts to add some spice to Kabbalat Shabbat. It is intended for anyone who wishes that there were more prayers reflecting contemporary values, while at the same time remaining true to traditional cadences.

"The American Liberty Bell bears this inscription: ‘Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof’ [Leviticus 25:10]. The United States stands for human freedom. Liberty means the freedom for each individual to choose how he or she would live life and pursue happiness. The American people have no master besides themselves...."