Opinions

Nearly five years ago I learned from my rabbi and Congregation Beth Torah’s Founding Rabbi Mark Levin that Jewish Family Services, and in particular, Jewish Community Chaplain Rabbi Jonathan Rudnick, was seeking volunteers to train and serve as Spiritual Care Volunteers (SCVs) in the Greater Kansas City Jewish community. I quickly signed up and then began a journey into one of Judaism’s special commandments — bikur cholim or “visiting the sick.”

As a pulpit rabbi, I am privileged to officiate at dozens of funerals per year.  I witness first-hand how families and friends assess the lives of the recently deceased.

Proud ‘nasty woman’ responds to absurd letter

I purposely waited until after the election to write this. My response is in regard to the letter written by Dr. David S. Jacobs that was published Nov. 3 in The Chronicle.

Clinton corruption

My old friend, Joel Pelofsky, would have us vote for Hillary.

Thank you for your support

On behalf of SAFEHOME’s Jewish Outreach Program on family abuse and dating violence, thank you for supporting Shake It For SAFEHOME, the Sukkot program that took place during hol hamoed (weekdays of the festival).

Political pundits and even psychoanalysts have attempted to describe candidates by highlighting personality traits such as practical and sensible or contentious and untrustworthy, but they minimize other characteristics.

How do you sustain the continuity of the Jewish people? It is a daunting thought if you sit with that question alone. However, a group of eight Jewish women came together in 2008 from different walks of life, affiliations, observances and ages to begin a powerful dialogue. The conclusion was that by bringing Jewish women from around the world together in Israel, they could empower these women to return home and infuse Jewish values within themselves, their family and their community.

I recently attended the funeral of the late ninth president of Israel, Shimon Peres. Because I work for the Peres Center for Peace, the nonprofit organization that he founded 20 years ago, I like to tell people that he was my boss, but my actual boss would disagree.

It takes a special kind of person to be able to instantly connect with Jews of all ages and religious backgrounds. Rabbi Zalman Tiechtel and his wife Nechama are special. They have been role models, spiritual guides and friends to hundreds of students over the past 10 years, including myself.

Having a child precede you in death is unimaginable, unthinkable, unspeakable.