Dvar Torah-Bemidbar/Shavuot Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation May 15, 2021 This week we begin reading the fourth book of the Torah, Bemidbar, “in the wilderness”. I’d like to reflect a bit on the theme of wilderness and what it might mean to us today. I’d like to drash it, literally, play with the meaning of the word “wilderness”, […]
sid.schwarz Articles American Jewish Yearbook, anti-semitism;, Charles Liebman, chosen people concept, ethnocentrism, excommunication, gentiles, intolerance, Jewish supremacy, Jonathan Sacks, Mordecai Kaplan, Passover Haggadah, racism, religion and social tranformation, The Dignity of Difference, Torah blessings, white privilege, white supremacy
Several years ago, I was leading services at my congregation in the month of February and we dedicated the shabbat to Black History Month. In addition to my dvar torah, which was on the theme of “Racism in America”, we sponsored an afternoon of learning that featured a panel of three people of color, breakout […]
sid.schwarz Articles American civic division, American Jewish life, American tribalism, crisis of faith, Donald Trump, erosion of American democracy, healing the American divide, Israel
I’m an old-fashioned news hound. I can’t start my day without reading the newspaper. The Washington Post is my paper of choice. And I read the hard copy that gets thrown on my lawn every morning around 5am. But then, as I start my workday, I work in a professional bubble of my own creation. […]
sid.schwarz Articles blessings, face to face, God Wrestling, panim el panim, reconciliation, Self-doubt;, stealing the birthright, unconditional love, vulnerability
Genesis Ch. 32 contains the well-known story of Jacob’s night of wrestling the angel in advance of his reunion with his brother Esau. They have not seen each other since Jacob stole Esau’s birthright and ran away to save himself from Esau’s potential revenge. It is tempting to use the story as a lesson about […]
sid.schwarz Articles assault on truth, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, moral courage, rabbinic courage, truth, US elections; democracy
By Rabbis Sharon Brous, Laura Geller, Jack Moline, Sid Schwarz and Shmuly Yanklowitz
To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven. This political moment is a time for rabbis and clergy of all faiths to speak out forcefully to protect both truth and democracy.
sid.schwarz Articles communities of meaning, Covid 19, emerging Jewish communities, Jewish community, Jewish Federations, Jewish identity, Jewish start-ups, Kenissa: Communities of Meaning Network, legacy Jewish organizations
I have spent a considerable amount of time over the past 20 years in the synagogue transformation space. I currently direct CLI, a two-year fellowship for rabbis on visionary thinking and change management. On our website, we curate a monthly synagogue innovation blog which includes some truly transformational ideas that are re-imagining synagogues for the […]
sid.schwarz Articles Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation, American tribalism, Beloved Community, compassion, covenantal community, Covid 19, Eclipse of God, Emmanuel Levinas, Face Time, Golden Rule, holy community, Ira Eisenstein, Martin Buber, panim el panim, PANIM: The Institute for Jewish Leadership and Values, reaching out to the "other"
Every good sermon has at least one compelling metaphor. Here is mine for this evening; it is visual (a camera shot of the empty sanctuary). When I learned back in July that Adat Shalom would only be holding remote services for the High Holydays, I was overtaken by a deep sadness that I felt in […]
sid.schwarz Articles Blacks; African-Americans; Communities of Color; Dr. Martin Luther King, civil rights, racial justice
David Axelrod, a former top aide to President Barack Obama often credited with masterminding his two successful campaigns for the presidency, recently published a column in The Washington Post that hit me between the eyes and sat heavily on my heart. Axelrod and I about the same age. He was too young to have been active in […]
sid.schwarz Articles Adaptive Leadership, Clergy Leadership Incubator, CLI, Coronavirus, Covid 19, Pandemic, rabbis, religious innovation, Synagogue innovation
I know that I am not alone in being impressed at how quickly the Jewish community was able to provide program content via the web as much of North America moved to “shelter in place.” As we begin to adjust to our new, surreal lives, more is being written about the shape of our post-pandemic […]
sid.schwarz Articles Covid 19, Dayenu, Elijah the Prophet, layers of meaning, Pesach, Rituals, symbolism of ancient rituals
Pesach is a time of the year when I am, once again, overwhelmed by the beauty of our tradition’s sacred texts, liturgy and rituals. They are prisms of meaning. For generations, Jews used these sacred texts and rituals to give meaning to their life experience. More frequently than not, the life experiences of our ancestors […]