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Rabbi Emerita's Corner

Enjoy some of the many interviews, articles, and sermons written by Rabbi Singer

Rabbi Singer reminds us, 'The Torah tells us: “You shall be holy for I, Adonai am holy.”  How do we become holy?  There are many ways.  Being ethical, and kind, and compassionate is certainly one.  Living up to our fullest potential as human beings is another.  During the Days of Awe, we spend time contemplating how we can be the best people we know how.  We look back at the year gone by, and ask ourselves how we met the expectations we placed on ourselves.  And we fashion new resolutions for the coming year.  Our time spent in prayer helps us to focus on the values we hold most dear, and reminds us of our obligations to others as well as to ourselves.  Attending Shabbat services can enable us to keep our eye on that prize.'

Dvar Torah written by Rabbi Singer

Va-yikra
Parashat M'tzora, Leviticus 14:1-15:33 - Bringing New Meaning to the Status of a Menstruating Woman; Published on ReformJudaism.org

Devarim
Parashat Ke Teitzi, Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19 - From Collective Memory to National Identity; Published on ReformJudaism.org
Parashat Nitzavim, Deuteronomy 29:9-30:20 - Rosner's Torah Talk with Rabbi Suzanne Singer; video Jewish Journal click for link

 

Articles written by Rabbi Singer

Religious Action Center (https://rac.org)
Children in Cages
Rabbi Singer reflects on her experience with the adolescent detention facility in Homestead, Florida.
8/20/2019

ReformJudaism.org (http://www.reformjudaism.org)
Why Would a Rabbi Write to Prison Inmates?
Rabbi Singer's outrage over the treatment of prisoners in our country led to her involvement in a campaign to end prolonged solitary confinement through T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights.
1/27/2016

What I Learned When I Volunteered in a German Refugee Shelter
Rabbi Singer volunteered for a couple of weeks in a shelter for those escaping war and persecution in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria.
7/11/2016

Hearing Refugees' Stories Compelled My Synagogue to Take Action
Rabbi Singer told the stories she heard while volunteering at a German refugee shelter to Temple Beth El.
09/07/2016

Lance Armstrong Let Me Down Too
Before he was interviewed on Oprah, Rabbi Singer praised Armstrong for overcoming incredible odds...
1/24/2013

Reform Judaism Magazine
A Classical Reformer Bows to Tradition
Rabbi Singer re-thinks the Reform Movement's Classical Reform and embraces new traditionalism.
Spring 2012

San Francisco Chronicle
A Moral Case Against Solitary Confinement
Solitary confinement punishes, but but does not rehabilitate; Rabbi Singer describes the campaign to end prolonged solitary confinement through T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights.
July 27, 2016

Press Enterprise
Anti-Semitism at Colleges Threat to All
Over the past several years, a frightening number of anti-Semitic incidents have occurred on University of California campuses.
September 4, 2015

CCAR - Central Conference of American Rabbis
Who Shall Live an Who Shall Die
The Unetaneh Tokef - Rosh Hashanah's central prayer - is truly terrifying and disturbing...
September 27, 2019

Ritual Versus Justice: Must We Choose?
Is it the case that the more time one spends on observance, the less time is available for social justice, and vice versa?
Summer 2010

Chai Lights - Temple Beth El newsletter
2015
September
The Iran Deal
I would like to address the matter of the nuclear deal with Iran..

2014
February
Ensuring the Future of Judaism
If we don’t educate the next generation, chances are the Torah and Jewish tradition will eventually disappear.
April
L'Taken
L’Taken means “to repair.”
August
Rialto
The Rialto School District assigns an essay asking eight-graders to argue whether the Holocaust was a real event or “a scheme for political and financial gain.”

December
Endorsing Propositions from the Pulpit
Congregations can take positions on public policy issues, including ballot initiatives and legislation, where their values are implicated.

2013
January
Peace in the Middle East?
Keynote speaker Martin Indyk, the former ambassador to Israel and now a member of the negotiating team assembled by Secretary Kerry, said he believes conditions are ripe for a real breakthrough in the negotiations this time around.
February
Stopping Gun Violence
Did you know that children ages 5 to 14 in America are 13 times as likely to be murdered with guns as children in other industrialized countries?
April
What Do Rabbis Talk About with Each Other?
Fluidity, collaboration, interconnection, listening will all be characteristics of the 21st century Jewish community.
October
Shoshi
I am dedicating my column this month to my dog Shoshi.

2012
February
A New Era for Reform Judaism
The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) Biennial in Washington, DC this past December was energizing and inspiring. 
October

Vote!
It is our privilege to vote in the United States.
December
The Rabbi's Discretionary Fund
Many congregants have asked me about my Discretionary Fund: what is its purpose, where does the money come from and where does it go.

2011
March
The Blessing of Non-Jews

We often assume that people know how we feel about them, so I wanted to make sure that you know how much you are appreciated.

July
Ritual and Other Changes
We hope that these changes will make our worship, socializing, and study experiences even more inviting and inclusive.
August
Poverty Simulation Game
During the Poverty Simulation, about 100 people role play living at the edge of poverty. 
October
Education
Our children are our future, and if we want to live in a healthy, thriving world, our children need to be equipped with the proper skills to fill the jobs of the future. 
December

Noah and Katrina
Just two days before discussing the Flood in Genesis, I had toured the New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward where the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina was the most severe.

2010
March
Mizrahi Jews
I have just finished reading two excellent books about Jewish families from the Middle East and I highly recommend them. 

April
Yom Ha Shoah
The Shoah has been on my mind lately as, coincidentally, I was recently given two powerful books, each dealing with a different aspect of the Holocaust. 

2009
February
What Does the Shema Have to tdo with Social Justice?
As I understand the Shema, the declaration that God is one has everything to do with social justice. 
December
Nazis in Riverside
Our Simchat Torah service at Temple Beth El was an extraordinary and powerful experience. 

2008
June
Israel at 60
Israel today is, no doubt, a complicated place. 
August 
After Life
Does Judaism believe in the immortality of the soul and life after death? 
December
Caring Community
We build community when we reach out and enter into sacred relationships with one another. 

Interviews with Rabbi Singer

Woman of Substance
Dedicated to helping others, these five Inland Empire women go the extra mile to make the region a better place to live. We salute them for their accomplishments
Inland Empire, June 2013

Interview with Rabbi Suzanne Singer at Temple Beth El in Riverside, California
LBCH Examiner, January 2012

Riverside rabbi took nontraditional path
David Olson speaks to Rabbi Singer about her journey to the rabbinate
Press Enterprise, October 2009

(Re)Defining Reform(ing)
Rabbi Richard N. Levy, Director of HUC’s School of Rabbinic Studies in L.A., speaks with Rabbi Suzanne Singer, Director of the Introduction to Judaism Program for the Pacific Southwest Council of the Union for Reform Judaism, about the movement’s direction and core mission.
Shma, November 2007

 

Mon, March 18 2024 8 Adar II 5784