Elul 29/September 11

On Fridays, we email two Elul Thoughts, out of respect for those of us who choose not to look at email on Shabbat. We wish you a blessed and restful Shabbat and hope you continue finding inspiration in our Elul Thoughts. 

Rabbi David Young

25 years ago today, I was walking through the Jerusalem campus of Hebrew Union College when I got a call from my mother. She told me of a terrible accident in New York at the World Trade Center as I was walking to class. A few minutes into the call she said, “Oh my God, another plane just hit the other tower. This is no accident.” With those words, “this is no accident,” my world view changed.

Being 5000 miles away from home created a feeling of isolation for my wife Natalie and me as well as for a lot of our classmates. We had gotten used to experiencing terror with an unspoken understanding that we would eventually leave and return to the US where it was safe. Suddenly we felt like we had nobody to turn to. We felt so alone.

But we did find people. We found each other. Our class of cantorial, rabbinical, and education students became incredibly close as we huddled in one of two apartments for two and a half days. We watched the news, we watched mindless comedies, we held each other, and we prayed.

As we come to the 25th anniversary of that horrible time in American history, may we find our people, huddle together, hold each other, and move forward as a strong, committed community celebrating a beautiful new year. May 5787 be a year of working toward peace and working positively with those who others try to make our enemy.

Tishrei 1/September 12/Rosh Hashanah Day

On behalf of all of us who participated in Elul Thoughts, we want to thank you for reading along with our spiritual practice for the month of Elul. It is always a labor of love to put these together, and to share in the sanctity of this sacred season. Now that the High Holy Days are upon us, we encourage you to start the year with the mitzvah of tzedakah to show our appreciation for a particular teacher or for the Elul Thoughts project. If you would like to donate to a particular teacher, please click on any link below to find contributor web sites.

Shanah tovah!

Our deepest gratitude goes to:

Rabbi Batsheva Appel, Temple Israel, Tulsa, OK

Rabbi Erin Boxt, Temple Beth Shalom, Ocala, FL

Rabbi Michael Churgel, North Country Reform Temple - Ner Tamid, Glen Cove, NY

Rabbi Alan Cook, Sinai Temple, Champaign, IL

Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, Temple Emanuel, Winston-Salem, NC

Rabbi Glenn Ettman, Congregation Or Ami, Lafayette Hill, PA

Rabbi Neal Katz, Congregation Beth El, Tyler, TX

Rabbi Rony Keller, Temple Solel, Paradise Valley, AZ

Rabbi Daniel Kirzane, KAM Isaiah Israel, Chicago, IL

Rabbi Bradley Levenberg, Temple Sinai, Atlanta, GA 

Rabbi Eric Linder, Congregation Children of Israel, Athens, GA

Rabbi Alan Litwak, Temple Sinai of North Dade, North Miami Beach, FL

Rabbi Laurence Malinger, Temple Shalom of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, NJ

Rabbi Andrew Rosenkranz, Temple Beth Torah, Wellington, FL

Cantor Jenna Sagan, Temple Beth Israel, Pomona, CA

Rabbi Simone Schicker, Temple B'nai Israel, Kalamazoo, MI

Rabbi Jeremy Schneider, Temple Kol Ami, Scottdale, AZ

Rabbi Benjamin A. Sharff, Temple Israel, Omaha, NE

Rabbi Michael Sommer, Har-Shalom, Northbrook, IL

Rabbi Deana Sussman Berezin, Temple Israel, Omaha, NE

Rabbi Stephen Wise, Shaarei-Beth El Congregation, Oakville, ON, Canada

Rabbi David N. Young, Temple Emanu-El, Birmingham, AL