Black Lives Matter Not Just For Americans
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The Jews stranded in Ethiopia have been promised authorization to make Aliyah for decades.
Continue readingJune 25, 2020
June 19, 2020
Statement of Love By the Minnesota Rabbinical Association
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Dear Friends, As the pain of George Floyd’s (z”l) murder still reverberates throughout the Twin Cities, America, and the World, we particularly want to express our love to BIPOC (Black, Indigenous People of Color) Jews within our community. You matter to us. As rabbis we want both those affiliated and those not affiliated with congregations […]
Continue readingJune 17, 2020
Next Juneteenth…
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Juneteenth should be far more well-known than it is, especially among Jews – I wrote about just as much already one year ago. On June 19, 1865, then-commander of the District of Texas, Gen. Gordon Granger, publicized General Order No. 3 to enslaved African-Americans in Texas. Invoking the then two-and-a-half-year-old Emancipation Proclamation, this order began […]
Continue readingJune 16, 2020
Statement On Annexation By the Minnesota Rabbinical Association
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We speak unanimously as the 42 rabbis of the Minnesota Rabbinical Association (MRA) to oppose any unilateral annexation of the West Bank.
Continue readingMay 30, 2020
WATCH: Rabbi Aaron Weininger Speaks At Gov. Walz’s Press Conference
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On Saturday afternoon, Adath Jeshurun Congregation Rabbi Aaron Weininger, co-chair of the Minnesota Rabbinical Association, was one of the many faith leaders that spoke at Gov. Tim Walz’s press conference to discuss the protests and riots in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd on Memorial Day. The video is courtesy of MPR News.
Continue readingMay 12, 2020
Leaving Yesterday Behind in Search of Tomorrow
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Lag BaOmer (the 33rd day of the Counting of the Omer) would be at the top of my list of little-known Jewish holidays. When I refer to holidays like Chanukah or Yom Kippur, people frequently understand the reference. When I mention the Counting of the Omer, there is much less familiarity. The Torah charges the […]
Continue readingApril 14, 2020
Next Year In…
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One thing is for certain: next year will not be like this year, just as this year is not like last year.
Continue readingApril 1, 2020
MRA Funeral Practices During The Current COVID-19 Crisis
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Over the past several weeks, amidst a daily changing situation, the members of the Minnesota Rabbinical Association have been thinking deeply about how we can fulfill our rabbinic responsibility to honor the dead (k’vod hamet), comfort the mourners, (nichum aveilim), and protect the community (pikuach nefesh). The scientific and medical communities have made it clear […]
Continue readingMarch 31, 2020
Two Brachot for the COVID-19 Pandemic
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I have had the great zechut (privilege) and mazal (good fortune) these past four months to facilitate several dozen dialogues, seminars and digital book clubs related to my new volume Text Me: Ancient Jewish Wisdom Meets Contemporary Technology (with Dr. Brian Amkraut, Hamilton Press, 2019 ), a companion website textmejudaism.com, and a two and a […]
Continue readingMarch 26, 2020
A Pastoral Letter From The Minnesota Rabbinical Association
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Dear Members of the Minnesota Jewish Community, We are called upon daily to act with compassionate conviction, to mobilize people of faith to respond to the eternal question, what can I do to serve my neighbor? The Minnesota Rabbinical Association speaks out as the moral and religious voice of the Jewish community, and we invite you to be […]
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