WORDS THAT BREATHE

A video that explores what it feels like to be a mourner, featuring my poem - The Secret Life of a Mourner.

A video that explores what to say to a mourner. Of particular significance for me since my father Ken Kipnes died.

A poem about my experience as a mourner following the ritual of not shaving during Shloshim.

A poem about what a mourner experiences, hidden away from the rest of the world, sometimes hidden even from friends or community members

Spoken word poetry about a rabbi who now has to be the one who sits shiva and let's other take care of him.

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.

In the aftermath of the shooting in Thousand Oaks, Congregation Or Ami sent these resources - for solace, support, action and talking to kids - to all our congregants.

Spoken Word Poetry on why American Jews must vote. Its a mitzvah!

The rabbis and cantor of Congregation Or Ami sent this letter about sexual violence to our adult congregants, our 9th-12th graders, recent high school graduates (18-22 year olds), and our faculty. We also sent a note to parents of 7th-12th graders with suggestions on conversations with their children.

To be a Jew today Rabbi Paul Kipnes offers a definition for today's world.

Pray for the children, The ones who were taken away; And pray for the leaders, Whose moral compasses have gone astray. Pray for the kids, Who wallow in their cages; And pray for the guards; Whose work sullies their wages...

I 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.

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.

In 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 Commandments, however. In one, it is commanded to “Zachor”, remember the Sabbath day. In the other, it is stated to “Shamor” protect, guard the Sabbath Day. The Sages, of blessed memory, taught us that the tw

Two by Two, we can save the children from the bullets like Noah’s Ark saved the animals, before we fall back to sleep.

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.

2 stories and a blessing for the new year. How will you make the next 365 days matter?

When Jews and Baha’is sat down to break bread, the similarities were astounding and the discussions delicious.

How Congregation Or Ami Answered the Call to Feed and Care for a Temple Facing the Ventura Fires

When sadness over the fires at Camp Newman fill you with sadness, remember that we are a resilient people.