Proudly Jewish - Proudly Progressive
Proudly Jewish - Proudly Progressive
In this Pesach sermon, Rabbi Adrian M. Schell reflects on a deeply personal and poignant Seder night in Berlin, where a table of rabbinical students, each carrying their own stories and silences, unknowingly held the broken pieces of our collective…
There’s a reason we come back to the following teaching again and again: Love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. It’s the most often repeated commandment in the Torah—more than keeping Shabbat, more than kashrut,…
As the assisted dying debate is currently being discussed in Parliament, I wanted to share a summary of Jewish perspectives on this important and complex topic. The attached paper offers an overview of how Judaism approaches the sanctity of life,…
Chaverim Yakarim I have been asked to share my sermon from last Friday via the AdKan with all of you. Please let me and/or ManCom know what your thoughts are on the subject, and please join the conversation. Shabbat Shalom—Rabbi…
Chaverim—Beloved Friends, Normally, when Jews die, we recite a prayer: ‘baruch dayan ha’emet’ – blessed is the True Judge. It’s a way of saying: “the good and the bad they did, can pass with them — their soul is in…
Chaverim—Friends, This weekend, Johannesburg is celebrating Pride day, and by that diversity in our South African society. While the legal position of people, who identify as LGBTI* in South Africa, is not bad at all (not only in comparison to…
Chaverim, friends It has taken the orthodox community in Johannesburg almost 3 ½ years to realise that Bet David has an openly gay rabbi. To be honest, I am not so sure if this news went around earlier, but to…
Chaverim, There are a number of Shabbatot throughout the Jewish calendar that have special names. The most familiar of these is probably Shabbat Shuva, the Shabbat of Return, which takes place between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. These special Shabbatot each serve…
In this week’s portion, Miketz, Joseph moves from being falsely imprisoned to becoming second in command in Egypt. As Joseph settles into his new life, he is given a new name by Pharaoh: Zaphenath-paneah. This name reflects Josephs new status in life…
Last Shabbat we had Gusti Yehoshua Braverman (pictured above) from the World Zionist Organisation visit Bet David. In her talk prior to the Shabbat service she highlighted the importance of the World Zionist Organisation and of the Progressive Judaism in…