I never really had an opportunity to contribute to some of the other open source projects of a Jewish nature. I maintain a very full programming and project schedule already, between paid work and non-profit work. I’ve developed Android and iOS versions of my app, “The Kosher Backpacker Appalachian Trail Guide,” which is not open
I heard all the jokes after receiving our congregation’s nomination for the Presidency. Sufficiency of marbles, who hates you, etcetera etcetera. It’s such an honor, and every now and then, I feel like I was the right person at the right time. That is, on the days where I’m not questioning why the heck I
I have a large number of conservative, evangelical friends. more so than the average Jew. Most of this has to do with living outside of the Five Boroughs, in smaller Jewish communities with a greater presence of religious Christians, and some of it has to do with my lengthy military service. Watching the disagreement over
In Tablet recently, Liel Leibovitz scribed what is sure to be a controversial article blaming Boomers for ruining American Judaism. It raised some good points: For the most part, these people joined shuls, attended infrequently, and dispatched their young ones to Hebrew schools run by well-meaning but not particularly competent educators. I know more than
In one of my last acts as a non-commissioned officer before I hang up the uniform for good, I wanted to shed some light on the absolutely horrible landscape for survivors of military sexual assault or military sexual trauma that exists in the National Guard. This is in part prompted by a soldier of similar
July marked exactly 25 years from when I shipped to Fort Benning, Georgia, for One Station Unit Training and Airborne School. Around this time 25 years ago, I was wrapping up the first 8 weeks, getting ready for the next 5 or 6 weeks. If I’m going to have a past, I prefer it to
In recent dialog with Christian friends over prayer, I was struck by something that is probably not profound, but is certainly meaningful. In prayerful petition, we have very common phrasing. We pray for peace, we pray for healing, we pray for our country. We pray for our communities, we pray for an end to war.
In egalitarian Judaism, some of our siddurim (prayer books) have introduced references to the Matriarchs (Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah) in prayers that mention Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Reform’s Mishkan Tefillah and the Conservative Movement’s Siddur Sim Shalom are two examples of this. Leah is referencing Siddur Sim Shalom. Leah: Page 156a or 156b. That’s
In Jewish Law, issur yichud (איסור ייחוד) is the prohibition of a man and a woman who are not married to one another being secluded together. I follow that in the same way I try and keep all of the mitzvot. It’s not because my wife demands it or I’m afraid of extramarital affairs. It’s
We’re on the exciting precipice of our strategic planning at Congregation Beth Israel in Bangor, Maine. After our friend, Dr. Amy Milligan, came in and spoke about her experiences with Temple Mishkan Israel in Selma, Alabama, it resonated with more than a few of us, I think, of the consequences of not taking a considered and
Writer, President of Bangor's Congregation Beth Israel, retired soldier, programmer, father, musician, Heeb, living in the woods of Maine with three ladies and a dog. Brian is also a rabbinical student with the Pluralistic Rabbinical Seminary.
Director of Education for Congregation Beth Israel in Bangor, Maine, runs joint religious school with our sister congregation, special educator and former school board member, mother to Avi and Nezzie.
