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Shoshana Nambi spoke at a special First Mondays with Rabbi Alex on Monday, Jan. 18. Screenshot by David Rullo
Shoshana Nambi has found a second, virtual home in the South Hills of Pittsburgh.
Nambi, the first Ugandan female rabbinic student at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, is a member of the Abayudaya Jewish community in Uganda. She spoke virtually at Temple Emanuel of South Hills in November and appeared at a special “First Mondays with Rabbi Alex” program commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 18 at Beth El Congregation of the South Hills.
During the hour-long talk, the future rabbi told the story of the Abayudaya and its struggles, both for survival and legitimacy as a Jewish community. It was a tale familiar to many of the close to 100 Zoom attendees who heard Rabbi Gershom Sizomu recount the details of the Abayudaya and their conversion to Judaism when he visited Beth El in 2016.
Last year, I talked about the challenges of being confined during the Passover holiday. This year, however, we are beginning to see the light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel. One would naturally hope this Passover is a celebration of our liberation from both spiritual and actual confinemen… More Headlines
Year in Review Part 4: November
Dec. 30, 2020 at 6:00 am
After several months of closure Muscle Beach officially reopened in Santa Monica. The County cleared it for reopening in line with the same requirements as playgrounds. People were required to wear a mask at all times they are in the park. In addition, visits were limited to thirty minutes if others were using the equipment, eating and drinking were not allowed, and people must remain six feet away from non household members.
Relaxed regulations in the Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica Pier and other commercial zones were extended by City Councilmembers until the end of 2022 in an attempt to bolster the economic recovery of local businesses.
How the pandemic has scrambled the rabbi hiring process December 29, 2020 4:54 pm Rabbi Adir Yolkut, who is doing a yearlong rabbi-in-residence program at Temple Israel Center in White Plains, N.Y., says it s been hard to assess the intangibles of prospective jobs given the impossibility of in-person visits. (Emil Cohen/Marry Me A Little Photography)
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(JTA) When Andrew Pepperstone drove to Kansas in late July to start his new job as rabbi at the Hebrew Congregation of Wichita, it was the first time he’d ever been to the city.
“My entire search for a new pulpit job was conducted during COVID-19,” he explained, so all his interactions with the Conservative congregation had been virtual.
High-school student leads effort to preserve Vermont s oldest Jewish cemetery
Netanel Crispe works on a headstone at the oldest Jewish cemetery in Vermont.
EAST POULTNEY, Vt. (Bennington Banner via JTA) - The autumn leaves crunched underfoot as Netanel Crispe walked uphill toward the northwest corner of the small cemetery. He stopped and examined a toppled headstone. The last time I was here this was standing up, he said, regarding the weathered, gray stone. At least it hasn t broken.
Crispe brushed away the leaves to reveal a carving at the top of the stone: two raised hands, the gesture used in the delivery of the Birkat Kohanim, Judaism s priestly blessing.