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A Collaboration of Many Voices
A brand new On-Line Journal that seeks your own unique voice.
by Ralph Gilbert, Past President and
Rabbi Van Lanckton, Past President & Editor In Chief
Most of us are not Talmudic scholars yet we feel deeply about our Judaism. Most of us can’t name each of the 613 mitzvot yet we observe Judaism in our own way. How do you observe? How do you feel about being Jewish?
- What do you remember about celebrating Passover with your now departed grandparents?
- How did you feel when having an Aliyah with your children?
- What were your reactions when your best buddy in the Army used an antisemitic slur?
- What is your reaction to hearing the Yom Kippur prayer “who shall live and who shall die”?
- How did you feel when saying Kaddish at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem?
- If you weren’t born Jewish, how has Judaism become important to you now?
- What do you think about the Israeli Knesset passing the first phase of the Judicial restriction law?
- What annoys you most about Temple membership, about Israel?
Take a moment to delineate your feelings. Share them with us. You needn’t be an accomplished writer. Your thoughts will appear in the next available online edition of The People’s Pulpit.
Sometimes, traditional leadership turns out to be nothing more than those who find where the people are going and then try to get out in front of them. We, the Jewish people, are constantly reimagining ourselves. It is the direction we are moving that counts and not the final goal. Now, we solicit your views. What do you think about this idea?
We believe that Judaism is aspirational. We are all on a journey together from Temple days in Jerusalem, where High Priests had the power of life and death while Passover pilgrims prepared their sacrifices in the courtyard, to our current, online Shabbat Services here in Newton which some of us attend in our pajamas. Connecting both these is Torah and unfortunately, continued antisemitism. Do you agree?
We are currently accepting your brief comments and longer essays for publication from Temple Emanuel members, friends and family. Please send your thoughts to: The People’s Pulpit at vlanckton@gmail.com with a copy to ralphgilbert103@gmail.com. Also, please write a few lines about yourself.
Rabbi Michelle Robinson
"The People’s Pulpit is an inspired forum! The stories and reflections that are shared here open our hearts and our minds to the deepest questions of life as a Jew in the modern world. Thank you Ralph Gilbert and Rabbi Van Lanckton for bringing us this holy labor of love."