Sitting around the table in the Central Reform Congregation library earlier this month, the meeting of No Shanda, a mental health group led by Rabbis Susan Talve and James Goodman, was about to start. Several of the participants chatted with one another....

With numbing certainty, more mass shootings of innocent men, women and children will occur in more American cities, many of them at the hands of highly unstable people who bought into vicious screeds on various websites.  In El Paso, Texas, it was in...

A few weeks back, my wife and I celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary. Along with a profound sense of gratitude for the decades of steadfast partnership, our Yom Nissuin (wedding anniversary) was a time to reflect back on the many changes we have undergone,...

Ring ring. Ring ring. Hi, this is Jane. I am calling today as a Super Sunday Volunteer on behalf of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. Thank you for your past support of our Annual Campaign. Last year you pledged $X, can we count on you for $X this year?...

Encourage lawmakers to pass gun violence prevention billsI was heartbroken to hear the news of not one, but three major shootings this weekend in El Paso, Dayton and now Chicago. With the 2019-2020 school year about to start, we will also have to brace...

“These are the words that Moses spoke to all of Israel on the banks of the Jordan River …”The opening of the Book of Deuteronomy is a look back into the history of the Jewish People making their way through the wilderness. In it, Moses does not...

Furious about people getting shot and killed? There is only one solution: Speak up to make your position on gun violence known to legislators. Contact every person in elected office who refuses to consider any safety proposal designed to save lives,...

The daughters of Zelophechad (Numbers 26ff) challenged the systems of power and inheritance that left them invisible and vulnerable. The Book of Numbers tells us that they understood that movements for social change often take generations. They planted...

This article originally appeared on Alma  (online at heyalma.com).I almost walked out of my first college Shabbat. Not only did I miss the close Jewish community from high school, but I also remained convinced that my new peers would view me as a “fake”...

We practice mental health in a specific way on the first Sunday of every month at Central Reform Congregation, with my wife, Rabbi Susan Talve, and myself presiding. We practice mental health this way for a variety of good reasons:As a response to a felt...

I want to tell you a strange story about oaths and a king eating a live rabbit. Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylonia from about 605-562 BCE. He controlled the land of Israel and installed Zedekiah as king of Judah. One day, according to a Talmudic...

Drastic cuts in number of refugees admitted puts vulnerable people at riskYour July 24 editorial “Go Back to Decency” notes the role of groups such as the International Institute in “help(ing) newcomers find security and peace in their new home.”...