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Israel’s War in Gaza: Painful Lessons We Have Learned

10/28/2023 08:15:40 PM

Oct28

The older I get the more I forget. I know I am not alone in recognizing the fact that my memory is not as good as it had been when I was younger. And so, I do have sympathy for those with short memories. But when, on October 7, Hamas terrorists entered Israeli kibbutzim and communities located on the border of Gaza, murdering, maiming, and raping as they went, the world expressed its horror and sympathy. In a matter of days, specifically,...Read more...

Rabbi Cooper in conversation with Rabbi Skorka this Shabbat

05/12/2022 09:55:18 AM

May12

Dear Friends,

Those who have met Rabbi Avi Skorka understand the extraordinary person and figure he is. His personal and close relationship with Pope Francis, however, is not the only way to explain the value he brings to us.  Although that connection began in Argentina, it has grown into a close friendship, one which has proved invaluable to the Jewish community.  Beyond the role he plays as the Pope’s Rabbi, advisor and friend,...Read more...

A Letter from Rabbi Cooper In Response to Antisemitic Flyers Being Distributed in Ardmore

04/30/2022 09:05:16 PM

Apr30

April 28, 2022 / 29 Nisan 5782

Dear Friends,

The ADL points out that, nationwide, there has been a 34% increase in Antisemitic hate-crimes since last year. We have, or at least I have, become a bit “unmoved” by reports of Antisemitic acts when reported. When it visits you in your own backyard, one can neither ignore nor overlook its arrival.

The report of Antisemitic flyers being put on the lawns of several homes...Read more...

Lessons in Juxtaposition: Where to Find Unity? A Letter to Our Congregation

04/11/2022 03:39:31 PM

Apr11

On Thursday night, news about the shooting in Tel Aviv filtered through the country. Within minutes, it seemed, the entire country was glued to TV sets, computers and cellphones, watching in real time, as the story of the gunman who killed three and wounded 5 emerged.  As I watched the crowds on television, standing in the street, accompanying the police in their house-to-house search for the gunman, praying that the lone gunman...Read more...

A Letter to the Congregation following the Shooting at Beth Israel Congregation, Colleyville, TX

01/16/2022 06:53:14 PM

Jan16

January 16, 2022 /15 Shvat 5781
 

Dear Friends,


The time lapse between Israel and the US created the unusual situation of receiving both good news and bad simultaneously. By the time I had read about the hostage-taking at the Texas synagogue, I received word that the hostages had been saved and that the perpetrator had been killed.


In addition to receiving simultaneously the good news and bad, I...Read more...

The Study of Torah outweighs all else (TB Kiddushin 39a)

12/02/2021 11:07:43 AM

Dec2

December 1, 2021 / 27 Kislev 5782

 

Dear Friends,

 

A quick math problem to solve: How many weeks would it take to complete the following classical Jewish texts, if one studied one chapter each week: the entire Bible + the entire Mishnah + the first seven of the fourteen major volumes of Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah? The Answer is: I don’t know exactly, but it is a lot. This volume of study has been...Read more...

Mann Tracht…… A Letter from Rabbi Cooper

08/18/2021 02:38:18 PM

Aug18

August 18, 2021 / 10 Elul 5781

Mann Tracht……  A Letter from Rabbi Cooper

Dear Friends,

Among the few Yiddish sayings I know, is  Mann tracht un Gott lacht / Man plans and God laughs.  We do all that we can to assert control over our lives.  We do not simply let “things happen as they will”. From looking both ways before crossing the street, to managing our diets and exercising, we do our best to remain...Read more...

There is No Place Like Home for the Holidays

08/13/2021 10:38:18 AM

Aug13

August 2021 / Elul 5781

Dear Friends,

In 1954, in time for Christmas, songwriter Robert Allen composed a song which became a staple in the collection of songs and music we hear ad nauseum throughout the month of December (unless, of course, you are going to Israel). Truth be told, however, although the song was written for Christmas, there is a surprisingly Jewish ring to it. The song itself does not mention Christmas....Read more...

Pride Shabbat

06/25/2021 01:11:39 PM

Jun25

Shabbat Balak, June 26, 2021 / 16 Tammuz 5781

Dear Friends,

As you may know, June is Pride month. In concert with hundreds of other congregations throughout the country, each year we set aside a Shabbat to bring to our community messages connected to the LBGTQ+ Movement. These programs serve not only to inform those who participate. These programs reflect and reinforce the importance of this month and this increasingly...Read more...

The Jewish Community of Nigeria: An "In-Person" Update

02/04/2021 04:55:24 PM

Feb4

Dear Friends,


What does it mean to be a Jew? Is it a matter of faith? Observance? National Identity? Culture?


I am confident in saying that there is no single, simple answer to the question of “Who is a Jew?”. What is certain, however, is that to be a Jew, in any meaningful sense, is never easy. And, if being Jewish correlates to the difficulty of maintaining that identity, those who suffer, face persecution...Read more...

A Letter for the First Night of Hanukkah

12/10/2020 11:32:25 AM

Dec10

December 10, 2020 / 24 Kislev 5781

Dear Friends,

The other night, I watched a PBS documentary from a series entitled “Reframing America”.  This episode highlighted Jews and their relationships to their respective communities.  The communities presented were small, located in places you may have heard of but, certainly, never visited. Most...Read more...

Thanksgiving Thoughts - Thanksgiving 2020 / 5781

11/25/2020 09:36:21 AM

Nov25

Dear Friends,

A curious passage, found in the Talmud, says the following:

Ben Zoma used to say: what does a good guest say? How much trouble has my host gone to for me! How much meat he set before me! How much wine has he brought me! How many cakes he served me and all the trouble he has gone to for my sake.

But what does a bad guest say? What kind of effort did the host make for me: I have eaten only one slice of...Read more...

Letter to the Congregation on Anti-Semitism

11/18/2020 05:35:58 PM

Nov18

November 16, 2020 / 29 Heshvan 5781

Dear Friends,

The JCRC (Jewish Community Relations Council), on whose Board I sit, works on behalf of Jewish interests and issues throughout our region, in Israel and around the world, keeping our community aware of threats, tensions, challenges and legislation which affect the Jewish Community.  Of late, the...Read more...

Stand Back and Stand By

09/30/2020 07:00:52 PM

Sep30

September 30, 2020 / 12 Tishre 5781

Dear Friends,

On Monday evening, at the end of Yom Kippur, families gathered outside our synagogue to recite prayers of contrition and confession. The Ne’ila Service of Yom Kippur is a final opportunity for us to offer our prayers, to commit to change and to savor the beautiful purity of the day and to begin a New Year cleansed of those things which have spiritually weighed us down. 24...Read more...

Preparing for the High Holidays: Creating Holy and Sacred Space

09/09/2020 05:47:05 PM

Sep9

September 9, 2020 /20 Elul 5780

Dear Friends,

What makes a place holy?

When one visits Israel and tours the area of the Kotel / Western Wall, the guide will invariably identify the place in the Rabbinic Tunnels as they are called, which is closest to the location of the Holy of Holies, the inner most sanctum of what was the...Read more...

The Sounds of Silence: Preparing for the High Holidays (Letter # 2 of 3)

08/31/2020 04:54:20 PM

Aug31

August 31, 2020 / 11 Elul 5780

 

Dear Friends,

There is a question whose answer has been debated over the course of centuries. The question is: What did the Children of Israel hear when they stood at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah? The Midrash waxes eloquently, presenting a variety of views.
 

Some say they heard only the first two of the Ten Commandments. After that,...Read more...

Preparing for the High Holidays “COVID-19 Style”

08/19/2020 07:24:38 PM

Aug19

Preparing for the High Holidays “COVID-19 Style”
August 19, 2020 / 29 Av 5780
​​​​​​​

Dear Friends,

The Hebrew month of Elul, theRead more...

Preparing for the High Holidays “COVID-19 Style”

08/19/2020 07:00:35 PM

Aug19

Preparing for the High Holidays “COVID-19 Style”
August 19, 2020 / 29 Av 5780
​​​​​​​

Dear Friends,

The Hebrew month of Elul, theRead more...

From Rabbi's Study

07/30/2020 12:59:49 PM

Jul30

The Zen of My Garden
July 28, 2020 / 8 Av 5780
To download click here

Dear Friends,

As I was growing up in the suburbs of Detroit, cutting the gRead more...

Letter to the Congregation re. Montgomery County Commissioner, Joe Gale

06/15/2020 01:04:08 PM

Jun15

Temple Beth Hillel-Beth El
1001 Remington Road
Wynnewood, PA 19096
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{{shulcloud_footer_right}}Read more...

A follow-up to my recent letter...

06/03/2020 04:32:25 PM

Jun3

Temple Beth Hillel-Beth El
1001 Remington Road
Wynnewood, PA 19096
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{{shulcloud_footer_right}}Read more...

Reflections on the Riots: In Memory of George Floyd,z”l

06/02/2020 03:17:23 PM

Jun2

June 2, 2020 / 10 Sivan 5780
 

Dear Friends,


I was a kid, 14 years old, growing up in the suburbs of Detroit, when Detroit burned.  The riots of 1967 were violent and resulted in more destruction and death than had been seen in the US since the Civil War.  I remember that long, hot summer day at the end of July, going to my friend’s home and seeing his father, sitting in the living room alone, his head...Read more...

World Zionist Organization Elections

02/28/2020 11:14:24 AM

Feb28

Dear Friends,

One might surmise that the current political climate in this country and the nationally televised debates might lure us into thinking that the only election matters in which we should be interested will take place in November.  Not so!  There is another election taking place soon about which we should also be interested and concerned.   On March 11, registration and voting...Read more...

Elul Reflections #3

09/25/2019 01:23:18 PM

Sep25

Throughout the month, we will be sending out emails to help our community prepare. The emails will each include a special melody selected by the HazzaRead more...

Elul Reflections #2

09/19/2019 07:54:48 AM

Sep19

Throughout the month, we will be sending out emails to help our community prepare. The emails will each include a special melody selected by the HazzaRead more...

A Letter From Israel

08/06/2019 01:00:55 PM

Aug6

August 6, 2019 / 5 Av 5780

Dear Friends,

Read more...

Letting a Good Theory Get in the Way of the Facts

12/10/2018 03:04:33 PM

Dec10

December 10, 2018 / 2 Tevet 5779

 

Dear Friends,

 

Emotions...Read more...

A Chanukkah Message from Rabbi Cooper

11/28/2018 05:51:24 PM

Nov28

A Chanukkah Message from Rabbi Cooper

 

November 29, 2018 / 21 Kislev 5779

Dear Friends,

On Sunday night, we shall usher in the joyous festival of Chanukkah.  At the darkest time of the year, we light the Chanukkah candles each night as we tell stories, gather with friends and enjoy the traditional jelly-filled doughnuts,  sufganiot, (indulging more than we should, while using...Read more...

The Book of Remembrance and a word about this week's Shabbat

08/03/2018 10:14:32 AM

Aug3

Dear Friends,

As we contemplate the meanings and messages of the upcoming High Holiday season, we reflect on the blessings in our lives.  We take note of our many gifts.  We enjoy good health, a modicum of prosperity and the good fortune to live in a country that cherishes and protects the many forms of freedom that characterize our society.  The High Holidays push us to the realization that...Read more...

Children Taken from Parents

06/28/2018 01:07:22 PM

Jun28

June 28, 2018 /15 Tammuz 5778

 

Why Do We Go to Yad Vashem?

 

Dear Friends,

I write to you from Israel, toward the end of our 11-day synagogue trip. Like most Israel excursions, our itinerary has been rich and full. An itinerary, however, is not complete without a visit to Yad Vashem, Israel’s memorial to the Holocaust. Our visit to Yad Vashem on Monday nearly...Read more...

Wed, November 6 2024 5 Cheshvan 5785