J Blog

Are you looking for a meaningful rainy day activity with your kids? This could be a perfect time to explain Tashlich to them! What is Tashlich? Traditionally on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, (or, if one cannot get to it then, it can be done until Hoshannah Rabbah - this year Sept. 27th) Jews gather at a body of water to symbolically throw their sins into the depths of the sea by throwing pieces of bread into the water. This article offers ...

This shabbat marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the United States. It is an opportunity to consider one of the outcomes of that very hard time. This Dvar Torah is dedicated to all of those who lost their lives on that terrible day. This week’s Torah portion, VaYeilech, includes the Mitzvha of Hakel. הַקְהֵ֣ל ...

I am very excited to be starting my role as Director of Bobbi and Vic Samuels Center for Jewish Living & Learning (CJLL). I look forward to learning with you! Shabbat Shalom. -Rabbi Gelman Are Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Jewish Holidays? This may seem like a strange question, but a careful look at the texts we read on those days may tell us otherwise. On the first day of Rosh Hashanah, we read that God remembered Sarah. This may be one of ...

Weekly Torah Portion ֶּאַתֶּ֨ם נִצָּבִ֤ים הַיּוֹם֙ כֻּלְּכֶ֔ם לִפְנֵ֖י יְהֹוָ֣ה ...

As we are approaching the 2021-2022 school year, so many things have changed. For me, it's a new job, new people to meet, and the first time since 1999 I won’t be in a classroom. For everyone else, this school year is about getting back to some level of normalcy. Now, this doesn't mean doing away with COVID precautions but instead finding out how to get teens back to doing things that make them happy and help them grow. This is exactly the ...

Dear Community Members, For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Rotem Cohen and I am the Israeli Shlicha (emissary) here at the Evelyn Rubenstein JCC. You may have heard about what has been happening in Israel over the past few weeks. These are complicated and sad times for everyone involved and I wanted to give some perspective to the situation as an Israeli. If I were living in Israel right now, I would have probably been ...

Presenting: A Little Nosh; Cook with the J! In our first-ever episode of A Little Nosh, we invite you to join our Israeli Shlicha, Rotem Cohen, Family Engagement Program Director, Andrea Wolfe, and her 3-year old son and master chef, Caleb, as they teach you how to make cheese blintzes for Shavuot in less than 4 minutes. Be sure to show us your blintzes by using the hashtag #erjcchouston! Shavuot Blintzes Ingredients Batter Ingredients 1 ...

Every year on Iyyar 3rd, a siren rings out after sunset at 8:00 PM for one minute to signify the beginning of Yom Hazikaron, national remembrance day observed in Israel for all fallen soldiers who served in the IDF and civilian victims of hostilities. During the siren, there is silence. Everyone is standing. Some with their heads down and some up, some are crying and some not, but they all stand to respect the fallen. During the next 24 hours ...