Blog - Temple Sinai

On the brink of this New Year, I share with you words of Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky:

"It is the beginning of a new year. We have examined our deeds, made amends, and been renewed. But recovery and spiritual renewal do not come quickly or easily...Teshuva is hard work. Thats really why when we finally - after the long hot summer - get to Rosh Hashanah we call it a New Year, because through honest repentance we are given the opportunity to...Read more...

Over the past three weeks and into Sukkot, we sing words from Psalm 27, Achat Sha'alti me'et Adonai Otah avakesh, shivti b'veit Adonai kol y'mei chayai, lachazot b'noam Adonai ulvakeir b'heichalo. “One thing have I asked of God, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of God all the days of my life, to behold the graciousn​ess of God, and to visit early in God’s temple.” What does this mean? One interpretation comes from...Read more...

At Temple Sinai we are in full High Holy Day mode. Tickets are in the mail, brochures are at the printing press, the clergy are writing their sermons, the choir is in rehearsal, and we are getting ready for it all!

I opened up my Rosh Hashanah Machzor this morning, and flipped to a page. I was struck by the prayer I landed on: "A Prayer for Righteous Anger."

Often, we get the most out of any experience when we are prepared....Read more...

54 years ago hundreds of thousands of people assembled in Washington DC to participate in a moment that inspired a movement. Dubbed the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, participants were united in time and place and though they were not monolithic; some were standing together in protest of a society that was divided by race and class and geography and some were standing together searching for societal reforms regarding jobs and...Read more...

The Temple Sinai clergy were informed on August 13 about an incident classified by the ADL as an act of anti-Semitism involving students who attend The Lovett School at an off-site party. We believe that anti-Semitism thrives in a climate of fear and ignorance and, on behalf of the congregation, condemn the action as an expression of bigotry and contempt.

We have been in communication with several parents who have addressed this issue...Read more...

We have come once again to that sacred time on the Jewish calendar where it is appropriate to take stock of the many blessings in our lives and to offer our thanksgiving to God.

When reflecting upon the blessing for this particular day I realized how apparent it is that we as a congregation have much for...Read more...

It is hard to put into words how many of us feel following a weekend in which we witnessed white supremacists and neo-nazis marching openly in America, leaving violence and tragedy in their wake.

Regardless of where we each stand politically, we can ALL agree: hatred, bigotry and violence cannot be tolerated. When our civic and faith values are threatened in this way, we raise our voices and rise up—not just in opposition but...Read more...

Ilana Levenberg is one of the main reasons that we chose Temple Sinai 11 years ago. Rebecca and I were considering several congregations to call our synagogue home and one of the prime factors in our decision was that we wanted a place where Ilana would be able to engage with Judaism, create positive Jewish memories, and where we would be comfortable raising her in a congregational setting.

We have been delighted that it worked out...Read more...

Monday, July 31st is the commemoration of Tisha B’Av. Tisha B’Av, the 9th day of the month of Av, marks the destruction of the Temples which once stood in Jerusalem. It is traditionally a day of sorrow, sadness, and fasting.

Midrash Eicha Rabbah teaches us that the First Temple was destroyed  because of three...Read more...

In 1957, a collection of eight white ministers publicly endorsed what is known as the Minister’s Manifesto, a document that denounced racial segregation. These eight brave individuals risked their position, their parish and, indeed, their very lives in taking a stand for what they believed.

As a student of civil rights, I know that the journey through the Supreme Court to the halls of Congress to the pen of the President began in...Read more...

We are excited to announce the launch our new membership database portal! In the new portal, you will be able to easily and conveniently register for events, manage your email preferences, view our online membership directory, pay outstanding balances and much, much more.

We hope you will take advantage of all of the great features that are available. This portal is now available on our website and you can access it anytime through...Read more...

One of the many strengths of our Temple Sinai family is the willingness of so many individuals to volunteer their time and talents for the benefit and betterment of the congregation. Countless events, programs, and celebrations that take place each year could never happen without the support of our Sinai members. I also know, though, that many more of you would gladly give a few hours of time to your synagogue if you knew that it would make a...Read more...

What’s in a year?

July 1st. A day that for rabbinical students always stands out...July 1st is the day a new rabbi starts his or her job.

July 1st, 2016. It seems like a lifetime ago, and simultaneously it seems like just yesterday.

I arrived in Atlanta on June 28th, 2016 a bit jet lagged, but totally excited after a 15 hour flight from Asia. In retrospect, it would have been wise to arrive in Atlanta 1 month...Read more...

Temple Sinai members are in Poland with Rabbi Ron Segal.  Follow their experience on this blog and through our Facebook photo album here. 

Temple Sinai in Poland – Thursday, July 6

Dzien Dobry (Good Day) Friends –

Our final day together...Read more...

There is a story: A rabbi was once asked to describe the difference between Pardes (Paradise, or TheWorld To Come) and Gehinom (purgatory). The rabbi replied: “Gehinom is a place in which there are thousands of human beings, their arms bound by splints and heavy ropes so that they cannot bend their elbows. They are seated before a large table upon which has been set large quantities of delicious food: a variety of meats; exotic fruits and...Read more...

America’s Prophet

Did you know that the Puritans viewed their emigration from England as a virtual re-enactment of the Jewish Exodus from Egypt? Or that Thanksgiving ― first celebrated in 1621, a year after the Mayflower landed ― was initially conceived as a day parallel to the Jewish Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur; it was to be a day of fasting, introspection and prayer? Did you know that many Ivy League schools even adopted...Read more...

Temple Sinai is in Israel!  Follow along with the trip on our blog and check out our photos on Facebook here 

Final Day by Rabbi Ron Segal

No surprise, the final day of our Sinai Israel journey came far too soon.  However, the farewells did not...Read more...

Happy Summer!

It seems like summer is truly starting. Schools are letting out, camps are beginning, schedules are winding down a bit. And with the  added heat and humidity, comes the opportunity for excitement and growth. It provides us with time to visit with family and friends, to catch up on good books, to try new things, explore new places. I love how summer gives us the time we need for even the smallest of  blessings...Read more...

As a thought to help frame this Shabbat, a Shabbat that for many of us marks the end of a school year, I wanted to share my closing benediction from our most recent Temple Sinai Annual Meeting. A charming and warm session, I was privileged to deliver these words at the meetings close:

We have come once again to that sacred time on the Jewish calendar where it is appropriate to take stock of the many blessings in our lives and to...Read more...

A House of Gathering

“Let them build me a sanctuary and I will dwell among them.” (Ex. 25:8) Words that we read from the book of Exodus a few months ago certainly give us a reason to pause and take stock. For 49 years, Temple Sinai has gathered in a sanctuary (or social hall) and reviewed the year, asking and answering questions about the life of the congregation. From day to day, week to week and month to month, we get glimpses...Read more...

I keep re-reading an article that I read in the Harvard Business Review last year.  The article  by Shawn Achor and Michelle Gielan is entitled "Resilience Is About How You Recharge, Not How You Endure."

The topic is this: "We often take a militaristic,“tough” approach to resilience and grit. We imagine a Marine slogging through the mud, a boxer going one more round, or a football player picking himself up off the turf...Read more...

This week’s Torah portion, parshat Kedoshim, is also known as the holiness code. In many ways it is an expansion of the Ten Commandments. However one of the most important lines that comes from it states, “v’ahavta l’re’acha kamocha,” or “love your neighbor as yourself.” In these times, especially, we should proactively embrace our neighbors, especially the ones who are different from us; whether culturally, ethnically or...Read more...

I make a mean beignet.

I may not be able to swing a baseball bat or shoot a 3-pointer or run to the endzone but when it comes to making beignets I’ve got game.

It is a craft that I’ve been carefully curating for two decades and a skill that has been shared with precious few. It is how I became the most popular person in my hall at my undergraduate institution and it is how I wooed Rebecca. A few years ago I had the...Read more...

For many, this week saw the happy return of pizza, pasta, bread and other delicious, leavened carbohydrates following the conclusion of our Passover festival. Of the countless lessons we learn from our Seders and Passover observance each year, I personally find that the spiritual messages never fail to speak to me clearly and powerfully. For instance, one timeless teaching which is always in need of repeating reminds us that, just as we...Read more...

By now, we are in the trenches of our Matzah eating week. Personally, I am longing for Wonder Bread.

Wonder Bread reminds me of sleep away camp. Aside from slathering my bread with butter and 7 packets of sugar, I would also squash the bread into a big ball and eat it like an apple. Bread puffs up, its fluffy, there is air in it.

However, with Matzah we cannot do this. It’s plain and brittle. There’s no stuff added, no...Read more...

Passover: A time to ask questions and tell stories

Passover is our holiday of liberation and a time to ask questions, four to be exact. Why do we ask questions? To elicit answers, to tell stories. We explain the seder and retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt so that another generation will feel the importance of becoming a free people. At my seder table when the kids were little and even now, we had a tradition. To give the kids...Read more...

Today I was part of something amazing, the Atlanta Initiative Against Anti-semitism (AIAAS). A gathering of over 100 organizations, coming together to say NO to hatred. From leaders of AT&T and to Chick-fil-A, to school teachers, police officers, government officials, rabbis, cantors, reverends and beyond, we all sat together. We listened to one another, and spoke our minds. And ultimately we affirmed that injustice anywhere is injustice...Read more...

I ordered a new pair of eyeglasses this past week. Not only did I want to update the style of my glasses, but I noticed that my prescription probably needed to be updated. What surprised me about putting the glasses on with my new prescription was how much clearer things were that I thought were relatively clear. Details were lost on me that I had no idea were there until I was given the opportunity to refocus.  

Over time,...Read more...

At a time when too much of the news involving the Jewish world is concerning and alarming, I wanted to use this column to share some positive, heartening, and good news regarding Israel! I begin with a reminder that we have a wonderful Israeli guest – Rabbi Meir Azari – delivering the sermon on Friday evening and leading Torah study on Shabbat morning. Rabbi Azari is the senior rabbi of Beit Daniel, our partner Reform congregation in Tel...Read more...

It was my first introduction to Temple Sinai.

I recall vividly that it was in February, 2006, and I was gathering information about different congregations at which I was going to be interviewing. Well, Rebecca and I were both doing the research: I was checking on the clergy team and Rebecca was perusing congregational websites. I was in the middle of a class and my cell phone rang. Sending it to voicemail, I refocused on the class,...Read more...