Latest Blog Posts

I Mansplained a Woman Rabbi and I Liked It
April 13, 2018Sitting in a meeting, chewing over some complex sensitive issues, I mansplained a respected female rabbi… and I liked it! Well, not really. Read more

Israeli Rabbi Or and Feliza Zohar Stir Souls with Reform Jewish Kabbalah and Music
April 11, 2018Quoting Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), exploring the metaphors of light and darkness, moving with ease back and forth between Israel’s Galilee and California’s Calabasas, Rabbi Or and Feliza Zohar at once teach and transform, explicate sacred texts and invigorate souls. Read more

When Cutting One’s Hair for Chemo
March 27, 2018When Cutting One’s Hair for Chemo: A Prayer/Blessing/Drash/Spoken Word Rap Read more

There’s So Much I Don’t Understand about Women (Rabbis)
March 22, 2018I confess there is so much I don’t know about women (Rabbis) and the experience of women in the rabbinate. But I’m listening and learning. Read more

Parent-Teen Mental Health and Wellness Summit
March 4, 2018The Parent-Teen Mental Health and Wellness Summit realized a dream: to transform our synagogue, Congregation Or Ami (Calabasas), into a truly safe place for teens, their unique emotional journeys, and the parents who love but are unsure of how to protect them. Read more

Shamor v’Zachor – protect and remember – after the shootings, teaches Rabbi Doug Segal
February 19, 2018In the wake of the shootings, Rabbi Douglas Sagal taught: On Shabbat, we light two candles. Why two? Twice the Ten Commandments are stated in the Torah; once in the Book of Exodus and once in the Book of Deuteronomy. There are slight differences in the two texts of the… Read more

Two by Two: Saving the Children From the Storm of bullets Raining Down on their Heads
February 16, 2018Two by Two, we can save the children from the bullets like Noah’s Ark saved the animals, before we fall back to sleep. Read more

Teen Mental Health: Rolling Darkness into Light
February 11, 2018Why did Congregation Or Ami focus our energies on creating a mental health and wellness retreat? Because today’s teens are particularly stressed out, overwhelmed by anxiety, buffetted by the emotional turmoil engendered by social media. They crave support and relief. Read more

Rabbinic Super Bowl Rivalry Plays Out on Facebook
January 31, 2018Rabbi Paul Kipnes and Rabbi Joshua Aaronson have engaged in a spirited rivalry over Super Bowl LII between the Patriots and the Eagles. Winning Rabbi gets bragging rights, and delicious delicacies for their synagogue’s oneg, and the loser donates tzedakah to URJ Camp Newman’s #NewmanStrong fund. Read more