Sermon: Pray and Act: Balancing in Pandemic

Erev Rosh Hashanah 5781/2020
Johns Hopkins Hillel, Baltimore, MD

In order to deal with the difficulties of this world—such as a pandemic—we must both pray and act.

Sermon: Wake Up! A Shofar Call to Action

Rosh Hashanah Morning 5780/2019
Johns Hopkins Hillel, Baltimore, MD

This sermon reflects on the world’s situation in Fall 2019 and motivates Hopkins Hillel’s Reform students to act with justice and compassion.

Sermon: Parashat Toldot: The Story of Isaac

Senior Sermon, HUC-JIR, New York, NY

This creative midrash retells Isaac's story and challenges us to redefine our own measures of success.

Sermon: Parashat Be'midbar: Counting as a Community of Helpers

Temple Isaiah, Lexington, MA

After the tragedy in Manchester, UK, this sermon reflects on those whom Mr. Rogers called "the helpers," both in England and at Temple Isaiah.

Lesson Plan: #MeToo and Torah: Systems of Power and Oppression

Johns Hopkins Hillel

Core Concepts:

• The Torah and other Jewish texts establish a patriarchal and oppressive system against women.

• While the overall system is one where men have power and women don't, some texts provide inspiration for breaking the system.

• Despite the fact that these systems are ancient and entrenched, we can nonetheless work toward changing them.

1 lesson, with handouts; 12 pages total

Lesson Plan: MLK, Judaism, and Justice

7th Grade Session, Larchmont Temple, Larchmont, NY

Core Concepts:

• Judaism and Martin Luther King, Jr. share social justice values.

• Jews played a key role in the Civil Rights Movement.

• We can draw on our Jewish-American past to help shape our fight for tikkun olam today.

1 lesson, with handouts; 7 pages total

Lesson Plan: Parashat B'shalach: Praising God

Minyan Torah Study, Larchmont Temple, Larchmont, NY

Big Idea:

• How can we cultivate a practice of thankfulness?

1 lesson, with handout; 2 pages total

Curriculum: Unorthodox Unraveled

Johns Hopkins Hillel

Enduring Understandings:

• Contemporary film and television can depict Jewish themes that connect to traditional Jewish texts and to our lives.

• Netflix’s Unorthodox displays themes of breaking barriers, identity and naming, finding Torah in unlikely places, and (re)writing our own stories.

• Although the world depicted in Unorthodox may seem distant and foreign, we can still relate Esty’s journey story to our own lives.

5 lessons, with handouts; 63 pages total

Curriculum: What’s Up With…?: Essential Learning for Jewish Life

Johns Hopkins Hillel

Enduring Understandings:

• Judaism is a religion of doing, one that touches on many aspects of life including eating, praying, and more.

• While Jewish ritual and practice has superficial aspects, there is always a deeper meaning.

3 lessons, with handouts; 38 pages total

Curriculum: Judaism & Superheroes

8th & 9th Grade Elective, Larchmont Temple, Larchmont, NY

Enduring Understandings:

• The concepts of superheroes and superpowers are not just a modern idea, but can also be found in Jewish texts and traditions.

• Jews have played a key role in the development of superheroes.

• Judaism can play a role in how we define heroes.

3 lessons, with handouts; 15 pages total

Visual T’filah: Reform High Holidays

Hopkins Hillel

These spiritual and inspirational images, questions, and supplemental prayers sought to engage all worshippers through innovative modalities.

Visual T'filah: 5th Year Final Service

HUC-JIR, New York, NY

This visual t'filah displayed quotes and pictures from the graduating class of 5777 to celebrate their last student worship at HUC-JIR.

Song-Leading

“Lincoln’s Nigun” by Joey Weisenberg

Let us welcome in Shabbat with this wordless melody and may the music elevate us to where we need to be.

Stickers

Hopkins Hillel

Rabbi Eric Abbott designed and ordered these stickers for the entire Hopkins Hillel community. The stickers serve as a visible reminder of our goal to be warm and accessible by displaying imagery and language that is both inclusive and Jewish.

Wedding Charge

Nelson, NH

This wedding charge for two dear friends utilizes a motif of growing the seeds of relationship.

Meeting Agenda: 3rd Grade Teachers

Temple Shaaray Tefila, New York, NY

Meeting goals: engage teachers in meaningful and productive dialogue; discuss potential teaching tips; anchor learning in prior knowledge and help them take it away to the future.