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Just Hanging Around
by Scott Singer We’ve never been introduced. I know you see me. I know I see you. Every year I come to Temple Beth Sholom between Shavuot and Simchat Torah, and then I disappear for the remainder of...
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Reflections of a Jewish Convert(ing)
by Noe A Granados Five months ago, I came to Temple Beth Sholom to embark on an incredible journey so that I may be given the honor and privilege of reciting Ruth 1:16, giving the declaration of my...
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Shifting Focus
by Anita Rothman Giving birth to our son, Jarrett, changed my life. I was in the pushing phase of labor when I became nauseated. My wonderful husband, Gary, turned to get the plastic basin, but when...
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Adjusting
…and then he said, “When can this conversation be about me?” Pause, silence. The non-afflicted person proceeded with, “…and?” Longer pause. “I have cancer…stage 1.” Where does a twist in...
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Seeking Stillness
Anonymous Elul. Here again. During any given year, I have (1) ignored it altogether, (2) generated many good intentions and done nothing, and (3) started and stopped some kind of spiritual discipline...
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Life in the Round
by Risè Kirbo The circle is an ancient symbol. It’s as vast as the planets in our solar system and as microscopic as an atom. It is an infinite image with no beginning and no end. Life changes. I...
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Echoes of Elul Day 1: Shiny Wrappers
Did you hear an echo?? Welcome back to our popular program Echoes of Elul. The echoes are pieces of work submitted by people just like you! They are thoughts, insights, and memories presented in...
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Echoes of Elul Day 2: My Mother
Sarah B. Schweitz My mother’s name was Alice. She was born into a healthy, smart, well behaved and beautiful family of nine children. My mother was 5’3” with brown curly hair, smiling eyes, straight...
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Echoes of Elul Day 3: Random Acts of Kindness
Anonymous I was sitting in a restaurant enjoying a quiet Sunday morning breakfast with my husband. The server seated a family of four next to us. They were a mom, a dad, and two kids about 7 and 9...
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Scott Friedman In the past, my echoes started with an event I experienced and then I wrote about the experience. Today’s story is a little different. The story begins with a picture given to me, and...
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Echoes of Elul Day 5: Seize The Day
Elizabeth J. Cohen The older I get, the more I appreciate the days of my youth; the time in my life when there were clear cut boundaries. I knew every rule as set out by my parents; I knew what season...
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Echoes of Elul Day 6: Nature is Calling
Marci Endless Bruffey Both my mother and father were raised orthodox. My parents were cultural Jews. I was a Jew by osmosis. My Jewish life included attending Bar Mitzvahs, standing outside the temple...
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Echoes of Elul Day 8: Sharing the Light
Nancy Silverman “Disabled Mom Needs to Furnish Apartment.” The header grabbed me as I was scrolling through the Nextdoor app on my cell phone, as most of what appears on this ap is much more mundane....
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Echoes of Elul Day 9: Memories
Monica Engel My Mother became a widow when I was four years old. She always viewed my childhood as negative and felt I was cheated. I, on the other hand, remember and cherish my childhood memories. I...
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Echoes of Elul, Day 10: Our People
By Brent Wasserman Our people have built homes in every land; Our hist’ry traces back five thousand years. We persevere together, hand-in-hand; Despite our past, which knows its share of tears. Our...
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Echoes of Elul, Day 11: How Far Apart Are We Really?
By Jeff Merkow Over the past year, I’ve done a great deal of reflection on what separates us from one another — as a nation, as a community, as individuals. Increasingly, it doesn’t feel safe to...
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Echoes of Elul, Day 12: JOY and TRAGEDY within 12 Hours
By Karin Altonaga A young boy named Scott started his life in a beautiful family and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ADHD. He struggled for many years and ended his life with a drug overdose...
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Echoes of Elul, Day 13: An Orchid Named Hot Sause
By Risè Kirbo I do not have a green thumb, but somehow I seem to wind up the recipient of dying and neglected plants. I don’t really want them but I can’t bring myself to abandon them to the trash,...
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Echoes of Elul, Day 14: The Inner Child
By Sarry Refael, z”l He is always deep inside. The child from our past. Who’s rejected, Hurt, Different, Who’s humiliated, and abandoned. The one whose company no one wants. The one who they did not...
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Echoes of Elul, Day 15: Awareness
By Donna Wolffe When we first become aware of a problem, a situation, or a feeling, we may react with anxiety or fear. There is no need to fear awareness. No need. Awareness is the first step toward...
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