Dear Friends,

The fun-filled festival of Purim comes each year during the Hebrew month of Adar, which started on Monday. For this reason, following Hebrew saying is said throughout the month to remind us to enjoy life to its fullest.

Mi-sh-Nich-nas Adar Mar-bim B’sim-cha
With the coming of Adar, comes increased joy and gladness.

Among the many things associated with the joy of Purim are food and libation. In many ways, Purim and its festivities is like Marti Gras. In the spirit of this playful celebration of life, we will observe Purim in two different ways this year.

Our first celebration is an Adults Only Purim experience called, POUR ‘EM for PURIM. This open tap event at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery will take place on Thursday Night, March 9 from 7:00 -8:30pm. Enjoy Persian food, boundless beer and interactive, stand-up spiritual entertainment by “Rabbi Brian” of Portland, Oregon. Click here for more details and RSVP information.

Our second celebration of Purim will take place on Friday night, March 10 at our Sabbath Services. Join us for the reading of the Megilla, a costume party, a carnival oneg with inflatables for our children and Purim activities for all ages.

We hope the playfulness associated with Purim will increase joy in our community throughout the entire month of Adar and beyond.

L’Shalom-Steve

To Our Friends in the Jewish Community,

We offer these words of support to the Jewish community in Houston who have seen a rise in anti-Semitism through bomb threats, vandalism, and hate speech in our country, and most notably, a bomb threat at the JCC of Houston.

These despicable acts do not represent the fabric of our city, state or that of our nation. We stand next to you saddened and shocked by the actions of those who have not had a chance to learn about you, your families, and your faith.

As the Jewish and Muslim communities, along with all other minorities face a growing wave of dissent because of the political winds, know that the Muslim community continues to, and will always stand with you and your families against anti-Semitism.

We will not allow the seeds of hate to sprout in our city without fierce resistance.

Know this day, and know this always, an attack on a person of Jewish faith is an attack on all of us.

Together we will always stand.

Your friends,

Imam Abdullah Daniel Hernandez, Imam of Pearland Islamic Center

Imam Waleed Basyouni, Imam of Clear Lake Islamic Center

Imam Salah Alsawy, Imam of Mishkah Center

Imam Wazir Ali, Imam of Masjid WD Mohammed

Imam Tauqer Shah, Imam of Maryam Islamic Center

Imam Hamza Ghia, Imam of Masjid Hamza

Imam M. Ahmed Khan, Imam of the Islamic Center of Baytown

Imam Mamdouh Mahmoud, President of Roots & Sprouts

Masrur Khan, President of Islamic Society of Greater Houston

Faraz Khan, President of ICNA Houston Unit

Mohammed Bader, President of Muslim American Society – Houston

Yusuf Shere, Board Member of the Council on American-Islamic Relations – Houston

Mujahid Fletcher, President of IslamInSpanish Centro Islamico

Masaud Baaba, President of ElFarouq Foundation

Ameer Abuhalimeh, Executive Director of Islamic Da’wah Center

Shakir Olakukan, President of Masjidul Mumineen

Eka Kristanto, President of the Indonesian American Muslim Community

Basim Hameed, President of Shadow Creek Muslim Community Center

Naser Mustafa, President of Almeda Islamic Center

Faizan Majid, Director of Houston Leadership Academy

Mohammad Shalaby, Board Member of IMAN Academy

Haytham Soliman, Director of Texas Dawah Conference

Faiza Patrwala, President of Risala

Ammar AlShukry, AlMaghrib Institute Houston HQ

Saqib Gazi, President of Muslim Students Association at UH

Shariq Abdul Ghani, Director of Minaret Foundation

Dear Friends,

This week, in congregations all over the world, we read about the giving and receiving of the Ten Commandments. Certainly, the image of Moses receiving the two tablets of the law has captivated the imagination throughout history. It is a moment described to be filled with awe and majesty, smoke and fire, chaos and order all at once. In our tradition as well as in the movies, Revelation at Sinai is one of the most powerful images we have to represent a single moment in the ever-unfolding story of the universe.

Much has been written about this powerful divine encounter, and the idea that I would like to share with you today is a teaching by the 20th century German Jewish philosopher Martin Buber. Buber taught that the most significant aspect of the Revelation at Sinai was not the content of the Ten Commandment; not the list of rules; not the categories of ethic; but rather the human capacity to receive Revelation itself. According to Buber, the most important thing about Sinai is not what God said, but the fact that we hear.

There is so much in this world to which we are deaf and so much that we refuse to hear. The noise around us is great, and yet, as Sinai stands to teach us, we are able to hear and understand truth and goodness in despite the noise and chaos. The miracle is in this human capacity to hear and grow and learn.

In this sense, revelation is not simply the process of being given new truths, but of learning to open our ears and our hearts to new ideas and perspectives. In this sense, revelation is not a single moment in time, but rather an on ongoing string of endless opportunities to become aware. In this sense, our relationship with God can be understood as being rooted in our willingness to listen more attentively and open our hearts to the needs of the world around us.

L’Shalom-Steve

Dear Friends,

The past few days have caused waves of political distress throughout the country. Unfortunately, we have become so polarized as a nation that we have lost our abilities to engage in civil discourse, and I believe that this has the potential to cripple us in our abilities to respond to those whose lives are being effected. The vitriol and anger that permeates our society is compromising how we relate to each other as human beings, and this is something that cannot be ignored. Our faith and our history as Jews demands that we respond to the human aspects of the situation at hand with a sense of justice, mercy and compassion.

NO MATTER WHAT OUR POLITICAL VIEWS MAY BE, our faith has a great deal to say regarding how we should treat each other. The Torah repeatedly forbids us from oppressing the stranger:

“The stranger that sojourns with you shall be to you as your citizen; you shall love each one as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”(Leviticus 19:34)

“You shall not wrong a stranger, neither shall you oppress them; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”(Exodus 22:21)

NO MATTER WHAT OUR POLITICAL VIEWS MAY BE, our history of oppression demands that we remain vigilant. Our determination as a people is rooted in centuries of persecution. We have been targeted and isolated, pushed away and rejected, unjustly accused and scapegoated for countless generations. Therefore, it is our moral responsibility to stand up when we see such things happening to others. Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia are on the rise in our country. It is imperative that we respond collectively, as standing on the sidelines and remaining silent when acts of prejudice and hatred are taking place around us is anathema to our faith.

NO MATTER WHAT OUR POLITICAL VIEWS MAY BE, the values of our faith promote a heart of kindness and empathy toward those who may need our help. Reaching out to the stranger is as central to our faith as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and tending to the needs of the poor.

It is very difficult to predict the outcome of the policies that are currently unfolding, but one thing we know for certain is that the implementation of these policies is generating some very real human concerns that need to be addressed. As Jews, we must be ready to respond with kindness and compassion. Interfaith work has always been central to the mission of HCRJ, and in the coming months we will inform you of opportunities to make a difference. The rabbinical community of the City of Houston is in the process of joining forces with churches, mosques and social service organizations throughout the city as we seek ways to build a unified force in the human effort to take care of each other NO MATTER WHAT OUR POLITICAL VIEWS MAY BE.

L’Shalom-Steve

Dear Friends,

The peaceful transition of power is one of the greatest virtues of our democratic system. While visions for the future may differ within our leadership and our people, when the time comes to transfer power from one president to the next, we do it as a nation with the same ritual every four years. The Presidential Inauguration always takes place on January 20 at 12:00 pm Eastern Standard Time, and last Friday afternoon, as Donald J. Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States, this peaceful transition was complete.

This week marks the first full week of President Trump’s presidency, and as it is with everything in life, new beginnings invite prayers for success. The following prayer is from our weekly Sabbath service and is very appropriate in this time of transition.

Bless our nation and its inhabitants.
Prosper us in all worthy endeavors.
Be with those whom we have chosen to lead us,
that they may strive to establish justice and opportunity for all,
and may they labor to bring peace to the family of nations.
(UPB Sinai Edition p. 61)

L’Shalom-Steve

Dear Friends,

Two days ago, our nation paid tribute to the memory of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a national holiday honoring his name and legacy. During his short life, the Reverend could only dream of a time when the injustices that surrounded him would give way to a world where the laws of the land protected the freedoms and the rights of all peoples regardless of the color of one’s skin, the beliefs of one’s heart or the origins of one’s heritage. He preached passionately about a time when justice and mercy would come to supplant intolerance and indifference.

Reverend King could never have imagined the election of an African American President, and during the two remaining days of the Presidency of Barack Obama, we have an opportunity to reflect on how far we have come as a nation. Whether or not you were a fan of Obama and his policies, it is important to consider the significance of his place in history.

Over the course of the next few days, I encourage all of us to pause and reflect on the journey of our nation from King to Obama and consider the ways that we can continue to work on removing barriers perpetuated by hatred and prejudice in society in every generation.

L’Shalom-Steve

Dear Friends,

In our Torah portion this week, Jacob and Joseph look back on their lives before they die. Each has overcome many of the obstacles which challenged them in their youth. Given the opportunity to lead, each has risen to the occasion. Given the opportunity to make amends, each has met these painful moments with courage and integrity. In the end, each has achieved a sense of inner peace and harmony, a stature of strength and wisdom, and a spotlight in the birth of our people.

Is this not something we all hope for as well? As we journey through life, each of us hopes to look back and see that where there was once conflict and strife, there is now resolution and peace; where there was once sorrow and pain, there is now contentment and healing; where there were once questions, fears and insecurities about decisions made, there is now a sense of confidence that even though not every decision was a good one each decision led to an opportunity for growth.

Whenever we take the time to reflect on our lives, we cannot help but ask:

What moments have inspired us?
Who are our heroes?
What events have led to change?
How many of the things we thought were failures in our lives, have become opportunities for learning?

Taking a spiritual inventory from time to time can help us assess our lives and our values. This week’s Torah portion invites us to consider the past through the lens of the legacies we hope to leave behind.

L’Shalom-Steve

Dear Friends,

In our Torah portion this week, the story of Joseph and his brothers comes to a climax. As Joseph stands before his brothers, he has become a man of great power. He has established himself in the highest courts of Egypt. Because of the way he looks and talks, Joseph has become unrecognizable to his own brothers.

The Talmud teaches us that in order to reveal his true identity, Joseph draws his brother near. He then speaks to them in Hebrew and shows them that he is circumcised. Only then do his brothers believe him.

From the Torah’s account of this dramatic interaction and the Talmudic midrash that follows, we are reminded of two tensions which continue to be at the core of our identities as Jews: assimilation and particularism.

Throughout history, Jews have sought to be a part of the greater society, but given our unique customs and religious prohibitions, “fitting in” has always been a challenge. In the 1800’s with the beginning of the Reform Movement, early reformers argued that these ancient customs, rituals and practices were superfluous to what should be central to our Jewish identities. They argued that a Jewish identity should not be mistaken by ritual wardrobe or empty ancient rituals, but rather a Jewish identity should be defined exclusively on what we do to make the world a better place.

Tossing aside the ritual garb, the dietary restrictions and many of the customs and practices which made us different and separated us from mainstream society, early Reform Judaism, especially here in the United States, was inspired by the teachings of the prophets who placed ethical living above ritual practice.

Our congregation has long prided itself on these early Reform principles, which later became known as Classical Reform Judaism. As it states in the mission statement of the congregation:

In Judaism, ceremonies and customs have changed from age to age. In keeping with this tradition, we shall observe the customs and ceremonies, which shall be meaningful to us because they symbolize in effective and beautiful form the principles of our faith, compatible with our lives as Americans.

Yet, over the course of 200 years of Reform Jewish practice we have learned a very similar lesson to that which is described in the story Joseph this week. We have learned that that without some outward expressions of our heritage we become almost unrecognizable to our brothers.

It is for this reason that we continue to see an ever increasing rise in a desire for ritual practices and ritual garb within Reform Judaism. For a great number of Reform Jews today, what was once understood to be superfluous and perhaps even anathema is now seen as meaningful.

L’Shalom-Steve