Asha Wilkus-Stone: Mourning & The Shmita Year On Rosh Hashanah, we began the new year in the Jewish calendar, 5782. This year is a Shmita year. The Shmita year is often translated as ‘The Sabbatical Year,’ and is likened to Shabbat. Parshat Behar (Levititicus 25:1-26:2) begins with the mitzvah: “Six years you may sow your [...]
Lynn Altschul: Bringing Suicide Out of the Darkness I never thought that I would be someone who would be touched by suicide. But over five years ago my 35 year old son died by suicide and I have been engaged in a process of grief, deep reflection and tribute ever since. Some people shine a light [...]
Elizabeth Gaynes: Remembering Judy Meisel Yesterday would have been Judy Meisel's 92nd birthday. If you did not know Judy, who passed away late last year, she was a Holocaust survivor, speaker and Civil Rights advocate, and Judy was also the Director of Beit HaYeladim Preschool at CBB for many years (click here to read about Judy’s [...]
Judi Shor: A Beshert Relation Like so many of you, Judy Meisel touched our family’s life in many inspiring and unforgettable ways. I would like to share a few ‘beshert’ Meisel-Shor coincidences. I knew Judy’s daughter, Debbie, from back east before we had even moved to Santa Barbara and met Judy. Debbie lived in Potomac, [...]
Stacy Baron: A Spoonful of Sugar A tribute to Judy Meisel . . . The recent passing of Judy Meisel, such a remarkable woman, brought back meaningful memories for so many of us in Santa Barbara. Judy’s children and grandchildren spoke so eloquently at her recent memorial on Zoom just a few weeks ago. Her [...]
Elizabeth Mason: Ruth Bader Ginsberg Our tradition espouses an inspiring concept. It is as follows: supposedly those among us who pass from this life just prior to Rosh HaShanah are those who have purposely been detained by the Divine Hand. This is because our world has needed their influence until the very end of the [...]
Sharon Davidson: A Caregiver’s Prayer Master of the Universe, As I wake each morning to the heartbreaking tasks of providing care to my loved one, I pray for the energy and patience to meet the challenges of the day ahead and the days to come. I pray that I can perform these duties with kindness and respect, in order to maintain his dignity and honor his humanity. I pray [...]
Ken Ryals z"l: Oseh Shalom CBB remembers our beloved choir member, Ken Ryals, with this video that he recorded just days before he passed. He brought this setting of “Oseh Shalom” by Michael Ochs to life with his beautiful voice, energy, and special “Ken” flavor. His smile at the end reveals his joy in making [...]