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Welcome!

Since August 2005, I've served the community of Beth El Temple in West Hartford Connecticut. I graduated from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, with a bachelor’s degree in Talmud (2000), a master’s degree in Jewish education (2003), and rabbinic ordination (2005). I also received a bachelor’s degree in religion from Barnard College (2000), writing a thesis entitled, “Can One be an Observant Jew and a Practicing Buddhist?” (You'll have to chat with me to find the answer!)

Featured Posts

  1. What Do We Want?

    Everyone always asks us for more. Everyone wants more. But what is the ONE thing we all seek and truly need?

    This year, the one thing we truly want is to be together. We want to dwell, share, pray and sing. We want to be with each other.

  2. Make Your Blessings Count

    His letter came at just the right time: Thursday afternoon, just 2 days ago, when I was struggling with what words I might say to you today...

    After reading this letter from my friend and classmate from Schechter who was incarcerated 7 years ago for 45 years, I made a promise to myself: I will never complain about my life again. And if I do, you may hold me to this, please say to me: count your blessings and make your blessings count...

    But after Friday's disgusting erasure of transgender civil rights protections in health care, during Pride Month, and on the 4th anniversary of the shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando where 49 people were murdered and 51 more wounded, it is our LGBTQ friends and allies that I am especially thinking of today...

  3. Just Beyond Yourself

    It’s not enough to hold an unopened Bible outside a church. Torah is not a prop. Torah is what propels us to do more.

    Thoughts on George Floyd's murder and our responsibility.

    How do we achieve peace? We do more. We need it all, the power of community, the voices of dissent, the votes to end the worst error in American history. And, we need every single person.

  4. Towers, Floods, and Leaders (Noach 5780)

    We must be the leaders, not because we want some kind of authoritarian control, and not because we’re the best of the not-so-great, but because it’s the right thing to do.

  5. What a Candle, Spice Box, and Grape Juice Can Really Do for Your Family

    I’ve always been a big believer in the family Shabbat experience. In our family, we light Shabbat candles together every Friday night in our dining room (a room our boys so rarely eat or play in that they actually call it the “Shabbat room” since that’s what we do there). We sing “Shabbat Shalom” and give high fives and kisses to everyone.

    Originally published on Kveller 12/18/2015