WORDS THAT BREATHE

Be a Mensch, that's what Or Ami's innovative parenting and pre-K to 6th grade learning program is all about. Mensch-ify my Kid, Mensch-ify my Home, Mensch-ify my Playground.

How might synagogues and Jewish communities respond to the needs of teens to express their inner turmoil and to learn new techniques for managing stress and emotional exhaustion?

Rabbinic Student Elana Nemintoff reflects on the role of the rabbi during the immediate responses by Congregation Or Ami, Calabasas, to the Woolsey fire.

How does a Rabbi deal with the trauma of a fire and some shootings? Here's another peek into the journey.

Midrashic Monologue: Did you ever wonder what Abraham thought about in the years following his “almost-sacrifice” of his son Isaac? Based on Parashat Vayeira and the Akeidah, we imagine Abraham’s inner struggles.

Noah's wife is mentioned 5 times in Torah, but her name - Na'amah - is not. Hear the voices of other silenced women of Torah.

Did God create a world before this one? Spoken-word poetry on Genesis.

That moment sitting with teens when I exclaimed, "WTF!"

I was anxious about going to summer camp.

A Spoken Word Poem about the pain some love with and through

Birthday wisdom from my 80 Year Old mother

Spoken word poetry seeking to find sanity during the tensions at the Gaza border.

In a land that oozes holiness, watching my wife Michelle, a long distance lover of Israel, rediscover the Holy Land has been fascinating.

Celebrating Israel’s 70th birthday on an airplane to Israel and thinking about this spiritual ascension.

When Cutting One’s Hair for Chemo: A Prayer/Blessing/Drash/Spoken Word Rap

The 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.

Why 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.

Rabbi 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.

Adulthood arrives later than when we were kids. When young people take more real responsibility not only for their own lives, but also for those around them, and for their community, country and world, they begin to manifest a level of maturity that evidences approaching adulthood.

Devoted, history-holding, once-in-a-blue-moon-visiting friends are a transcendent gift from God.