After watching my Rosh Hashanah sermon, my amazing colleague Rachel Rudman, in her tireless efforts to ensure your well being, gently asked me if my Yom Kippur sermon will be less…depressing. The answer is no. And yes.

The Jewish community is often focused on having children. There are good reasons. The first mitzvah in the Torah is to be fruitful and multiply. We have suffered tremendous losses of Jewish lives. And having children is indeed one way to ensure another generation of Jews will carry on the tradition. 

We are raising an additional $1.5M to build out our roof deck! We invite you to be part of the Downtown Synagogue renovation by naming one of our iconic stained glass windows. For $10,000 (or $2,000 per year for 5 years), your family’s name or dedication will be associated with the colorful window you choose.

We’ll have a ribbon cutting ceremony, followed by open house tours, food, music, and activities for kids. Register here!

Detroit — When Jay Hack attended an event at a synagogue in Detroit with his wife nearly eight years ago, not only was he surprised by the pleasant experience, but he was also astounded to discover the temple had been founded by his family nearly a century ago.

As I spoke about in my Yom Kippur sermon, as human beings, and particularly as Jews, we often think of ourselves as either vulnerable or powerful. But we are actually often both. And we can be both even in the same moment.