Jewish Beauty and Joy during hard times

It is hard to be a Jew right now. Everywhere I look, negativity is thrown our way. And our history is being revised by outside forces. Maligned. We see some of that, too. All in all--it is rough out there.

But it is relaxed, calm, peaceful, and joyful here. Here in our community, our small Shul overlooking Lake Washington.

I want Kol Ami to be nurturing and safe. A place of repose. Renewal. Comfort and Inspiration.

Bringing Jewish music is one way we can add to the lives of our community members. Nara Gold, in her essay “The Power of Jewish Music,” writes,

“ Music can serve many func­tions: emo­tion­al, social, and cul­tur­al. Jew­ish music not only gives us Jews plea­sure and cathar­sis; it plays a role in bind­ing us togeth­er as a com­mu­ni­ty. Singing with oth­er peo­ple, for exam­ple, is a trans­for­ma­tive expe­ri­ence, com­mu­nal­ly and indi­vid­u­al­ly. I can’t even imag­ine con­tem­po­rary Jew­ish life with­out music in it — at shul, at home, with friends. In my view, noth­ing could be more con­ducive to com­mu­ni­ty- and iden­ti­ty-build­ing than music.

Fur­ther­more, Jew­ish music binds us to our shared his­tor­i­cal past.”

The Jewish community is bound through music.

We have two wonderful Jewish musical experiences to offer our community this Shabbat.

1. Our quarterly Klezmer Shabbatot with Wendy Marcus, Shawn, our Choir, and Susan Bardsley! 7:30 pm in the Chapel. This Friday 6/7/2024.
   

We also host that night's pre-Shabbat potluck and community discussion of our new congregational Ethics Code. Kids welcome! They have essential voices too on these topics. 6:00 pm. Bring cheese and crackers, fruit, light NOSH to share.

2. Our bi-annual Eastside Jewish Community Choir Spring Concert is on Saturday night, 6/8, at 7 pm. The focus of this concert is Contemporary Jewish Composers. We will begin with Havdalah and then relax into an evening of live Jewish music. The concert is located in the Chapel.

We cannot allow the haters to steal our joy. We cannot allow those who do not love us and see us tarnish our beauty. We have survived far worse. And we might have far worse ahead of us. The tides and turns of history sweep around Jews. What we have, what we have always had, is EACH OTHER, our stunning tradition, and our deep wisdom.

Take time this Shabbat to nurture your Jewish soul. Join the community to celebrate Shabbat, the new week, the artistry of our people, and the joy we have inherited.

Do you feel down about the situation in this world as a Jew? Give me a call. I am here to partner with you in walking this Jewish path. And do you have an inspired idea for our community? Give me a call, too.

Pray pray for the peace of Israel and Ishmael. Pray for the peace of the whole world.

Together. We are in this together. Blessings and love,

Rabbi Kinberg