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198. That is the number of mass shootings that have occurred in the United States since the beginning of the year. The number averages out to ten mass shootings every week. I just shake my head, but no longer in disbelief or amazement. Not even shock nor dismay. I feel anger, outrage, and disgust. Last year there were 693 mass shootings, which is nearly two every day. What has happened to...Read more...

When I venture into something new, I will try to find something comparable to learn from that aids me in my journey. I’ve thought much about this over the past 3 ½ years as Tree of Life continues on its journey. We are in the process of creating something new. The challenge is that there is no comparable model in existence to reference. There is no prior synagogue that underwent what we did...Read more...

Have you ever counted the days until an important date occurs, be it a life cycle event, the end of the school year, or anything significant in your life or the life of others? We generally count downward, starting from the number of days until the event, taking off one day each day as the moment nears. Yet we have begun a counting period now within the Jewish year in which we count up....Read more...

Raphael Lemkin was born on June 24, 1900, in the village of Volkovyssky in what is currently the country of Belarus, part of the Russian Empire at that time. He was interested as a youth in the subject of atrocities, and is quoted as having said a line of blood led from the Roman arena through the gallows of France to the Bialystock Pogrom. His lifelong writings express the belief that the...Read more...

We so desperately want to return to normal, but frankly, we don’t know what normal should look like? Might any of our regular habits be permanently changed, such as dining out, gathering with people, greeting people warmly, going to events with a large number of people, and attending religious services in-person? Most of us have more questions than we have answers. Tree of Life resumed...Read more...