Monica Steiner Hooray!: Abraham the Woman Would Have Stayed Monica has served as a lay leader at CBB for 11 years and on our professional staff for the past 5+, most recently as Director of Donor Relations. This month, CBB wished Monica and her family farewell as they move across country so Monica can begin [...]
Charles during his mikveh immersion at Goleta Beach. Photo by Phoebe Light Charles Perkins: Public Affirmation Speech Author's note: With much gentle nudging and calm reassurance, our own Rabbi Daniel Brenner convinced me that my public affirmation ceremony would benefit from a few short words about my conversion process -- my "journey home" [...]
Susan Levine: Creating Peace One Student at a Time CBB has formed a partnership with the Givat Haviva International School (GHIS) in Israel - a diverse community of student leaders promoting cross-cultural cooperation - as part of our community's Tikkun Olam initiative to heal the world and build a more peaceful future. CBB members donate [...]
Rabbi Steve Cohen: Religious Experience and the Reality of the Unseen One hundred twenty years ago, the great American psychologist and philosopher William James was invited to deliver the prestigious Giffords Lectures in Natural Religion at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. The texts of his lectures were published in 1902 as The Varieties of [...]
Liam Avolio: Reflections From My Bar Mitzvah The day had finally come. I suppose I knew that it was happening, but it always seemed so far away. But years became months, and months became weeks, and weeks became days. And now, here I was, catching up with family, outside the temple where my Bar Mitzvah [...]
Judy Karin: In the Fall We Build a Fort In the fall, we build a fort. I have a childhood memory: we’re stuck in traffic, on the way to visit my grandparents in Queens. I glance out the window and see a field of - I don’t know, it looks like giant ferns. It’s [...]
Beth Weinberg: Reflections on Yolanda Savage Narva ~~~ Editor's note: CLICK TO VIEW Yolanda Savage Narva's presentation on racial equality, diversity, and inclusion, from our June 20, 2021 Kenny Gaynes Memorial Sunday Morning Live. Savage Narva is the Director of Racial Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion at the Union for Reform Judaism. (She is also the aunt [...]
Cantor Mark Childs: Reflections on Reopening Just in time to end their school year, the students from our Netivot program came together yesterday morning en masse, in-person, masked, distanced and very happy (see photo below). I can’t overstate my feelings of joy, after a year plus of interacting via Zoom, over being physically together. My utmost wish [...]
Debi Lewis: Ordination A huge mazel tov on behalf of the entire CBB community to our beloved Rav Debi Lewis!- Editor Deborah Lynn Lewis graduated from Gratz College with a BA in Jewish Studies. She is a member of Congregation B'nai B'rith (CBB) in Santa Barbara and credits her congregation for instilling within her [...]
Forgiveness Was I your Scape Goat? The one the Levities pushed over the edge of the cliff in the Wilderness? Was I your Flame in the gaslight? Was I the sacrificed bird, whose blood is splattered by the High Priest, over your leprocy? Did I clean your Soul? I don’t want to be the sacrificed [...]