IADS BLOG
Between now and March 10, please vote three times!
I was born in Chicago, a city famous for the phrase "vote early and vote often," and I encourage you to do so...but admittedly in a manner different than what the phrase originally implied.
First, please make sure you are registered to vote in Michigan
The winter months, and particularly the time around the winter holidays, can be very difficult for people who are struggling with depression, anxiety, and/or addiction. If someone in your family or one of your friends or colleagues seems to be struggling, please reach out. No one should suffer alone.
If you are struggling with mental illness, please do not hesitate to reach out to someone you love, to me, to a medical professional, or if needed, to the suicide hotline: 800.273.TALK.
We all know it is a Jewish obligation to care for the sick. And fortunately we are pretty good at reaching out when someone is in the hospital or has the flu. We also need to fully see and support people who are wrestling with mental illness. We can be a part of fighting the stigma and changing lives.
Thank you for all that you have done and will do. May you, your loved ones, and everyone in our extended IADS community, have a year of better health and newfound joy.
During Hanukkah we kindle and see light. We appreciate the miraculous and remember that sometimes the seemingly impossible becomes possible. And we celebrate the joy of being together.
I encourage you to dedicate this time to bringing light into the darkest corners of our lives, to recognizing when the seemingly impossible becomes possible, and to asking for help when we need it. Individually and collectively we can kindle light.
On the first day of Rosh Hashanah, I spoke about Sukkot. Sukkot offers an incredible opportunity to bring more joy, gratitude, and inclusion into our lives. I spoke about how our sukkot tables and our congregation often don’t reflect the true diversity of our community, mentioning in particular the children of interfaith parents, Jews who are not white, and people who are struggling to put food on their tables each day.
Jews have been called the People of the Book. The term is a translation of the Arabic Ahl al-Kitab, the Muslim category of people whose religion is based on divine revelation in the form of a book. These included people like Jews, Christians, and Zorastrians, and the Prophet Muhammed granted them a special status.
When I was growing up, my family never built a sukkah. We were too tired. We had just taken off from work and school to attend high holiday services, and we’d prayed and repented, and fasted, and hosted people for break fast. Besides, building a sukkah was something the synagogue did and something the rabbi did, and you could go to those sukkot if you really wanted your sukkah fix.
ACTION • HUMILITY • PLACE-BASED • COURAGE TO LEARN & HAVE DIALOGUE • KEHILA/ABUNDANCE • DIVERSITY & INCLUSION • KINDNESS & COMPASSION • INTEGRATING RITUAL & ACTION
Norman and Esther Allan Foundation • Applebaum Family Foundation • Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman Foundation • William Davidson Foundation • Max and Marjorie Fisher Foundation • Gilbert Family Foundation • The Jewish Fund • D. Dan and Betty Kahn Foundation • Donald R. and Esther Simon Family Foundation • Ben Teitel Fund
