Har HaShem will Resettle an Afghan Family
11/30/2021 08:57:30 AM
I am thrilled to share some wonderful news.
The Board of Trustees of Congregation Har HaShem has offered our Baseline house to a family fleeing Afghanistan. We expect Najeb, Maryam and their children, Amrullah (3) and Naseebullah (2), to move in in mid-December. We’re partnering with Lutheran Family Services and a local effort to bring Afghan refugees to Boulder County. Below, I’ll tell you more and how you can...Read more...
D'var Torah on Parshat Tol'dot (Esau & Isaac)
11/15/2021 11:35:52 AM
Most of us know this week’s parsha, Tol’dot, for the story of Jacob and Esau. There’s a lot there – stolen birthright and blessing, imperfect heroes, the Torah’s binary presentation of the twins, one good and one bad. There’s hate and sort-of reconciliation. Much that resonates in our polarized world.
But I want to talk about another part of this parsha: the story of...Read more...
New Executive Director!
10/19/2021 04:50:18 PM
After a nationwide search, a thorough selection process by the Har HaShem Executive Director Search Committee, and approval Read more...
Shabbat D'varim at Camp
07/16/2021 02:27:17 PM
This Shabbat we read from the beginning of the book of Deuteronomy. While the later chapters are full of the high drama of Moses’ death, this week’s portion, D’varim, is part of a recap of the Israelites 40 years of wandering in the desert. The book opens with “These are the words that Moses addressed to all Israel on the other side of the Jordan.” The Israelites must be reminded of their journey as they prepare to...Read more...
Message on Recent Events in Israel
05/12/2021 01:22:02 PM
I am among the many here in America whose heart is breaking. I am so deeply saddened to see renewed attacks on innocents as Hamas shoots rockets into Israeli cities. I am disheartened by the challenges in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah as Israeli Jewish extremists try to use the law to evict Palestinian residents from their homes. I am concerned when Jews in Israel and America -- my community, my people -- return to simple...Read more...
After the Boulder shooting, I ask the Four Questions
03/29/2021 11:59:38 AM
Published on Forward.com
Read more... Holli Berman announces her retirement in 2022
12/08/2020 10:24:10 AM
Standing Against Racism is a Jewish Value
10/20/2020 05:14:53 PM
Celebrate the Holy Days
09/01/2020 02:09:14 PM
JTREE Boulder
08/17/2020 01:34:30 PM
Climate change was such a concern for one local Boulderite that she felt it needed to be included in her D'var Torah. In a recent interview, Natasha Dickson and her mother Lisa Sundell, talked about the connection between a 13th Mitzvah and JTree.
Natasha’s interest emerged at the same time that Lisa saw JTree information in the Har Hashem newsletter. The connection was made of both passion and purpose, and the JTree donation link...Read more...
Update on In-Person Programming
08/10/2020 09:33:19 AM
I'm happy to say that we are living our vision...
06/30/2020 10:11:05 AM
Your best will be good enough
05/15/2020 12:03:23 PM
Earth Day
04/20/2020 09:02:35 AM
Celebrating B'not Mitzvah online
03/31/2020 11:04:09 AM
Sabbath of Social Distance
03/13/2020 04:33:22 PM
Building closed.
03/12/2020 06:30:51 PM
Covid Update
03/11/2020 06:09:51 PM
A picture is worth 1000 words...
02/26/2020 10:16:41 AM
World Zionist Congress Elections
02/19/2020 10:36:18 AM
Women's Leadership in Parashat Shemot
01/16/2020 08:37:51 AM
Parashat Shemot opens with Pharaoh enslaving the Israelites because they are becoming too numerous. When the brave and wily midwives refuse Pharaoh’s command to kill all male Hebrew babies, he tells Egyptians to throw these babies into the Nile instead. Moses’ mom does that herself and Pharaoh’s daughter picks up his basket and raises him as her own in the palace. Moses leaves the Palace one day and comes across an Egyptian beating...Read more...
Vayetze Sermon - Kislev 2019
12/30/2019 10:13:58 AM
This last Yom Kippur, we held a full service at Midreshet Ben-Gurion, the central hub of my community, which is the larger Ramat Hanagev Regional Council. Our Hazan was orthodox, originally from the settlement of Tkoa, home to one of the most renowned peace activists in Israel, Rabbi Menachem Fruman, of blessed memory. Our Kol Nidrei was performed by a female singer from the Mitze Ramon music school, and we...Read more...
Two Important Messages
12/13/2019 08:39:51 AM
As many of you know, Haver, Boulder's Rabbinical Council, has been working with Mountain View Memorial Park for plots in the Jewish area of Read more...
Har HaShem Honored by Bridge House as Landlord of the Year
10/22/2019 09:57:18 AM
Roxanne Bailin and Sara-Jane Cohen accepted Bridge Houses's Landlord of the Year Award at Ready to Work's 2019 graduation. The award recognizes the year-old partnership between our congregation and Bridge House to end homelessness by combining existing housing stock, public and private rental subsidies, and case management to help successful Ready to Work graduates find permanent homes.
Read more...
When is a Surplus not a Surplus?
10/17/2019 09:20:07 AM
Never. A surplus is always a surplus. However, a surplus does not mean that you have met all of your financial challenges. A family may make more money than it spends in a year, but it may need to prepare for college expenses or retirement down the road.
Har HaShem is in a similar situation. Last year, we had a surplus of almost $100,000 and added more than $50,000 to our Endowment. Hooray! Congrats to...Read more...
HHS Treasurer to write about money because...why not?
10/16/2019 12:58:04 PM
Few of us like to think about finance. Money matters can be intimidating, depressing, and the source of conflict. As a result, many people and organizations try to avoid the whole issue. They can’t. We all evaluate options for big and small financial matters every day. If we do not think them through, we are much more likely to make poor choices, which will make us even more uncomfortable in the...Read more...
Let's Get Real at Yom Kippur...
10/11/2019 10:06:22 AM
I’d like to get real with you tonight. During these High Holy Days, we’re challenged to look deep within ourselves, to consider our actions and our relationships over the past year, and to think about how we want the year ahead to be different. What have we done right? Where we can do better?
Thinking this way might lead us to feel a bit alone and lost. Does anyone really get me? Does anybody understand...Read more...
This Rosh Hashanah, Commit to Joining the Fight Against Climate Change
09/25/2019 12:56:46 PM
The high holidays are a time of personal and communal reckoning. These are the sins we have committed, we recite. Before the beginning of Yom Kippur, even before Kol Nidrei, the prayer leader or shaliach tzibbur recites “with the consent of God … we allow ourselves to pray with transgressors.” We are in this together.
To continue reading, please go...Read more...
Immigration through a Torah Lens
08/08/2019 09:10:35 AM
In this week’s Torah portion, Matot & Masei, we find Moses and the children of Israel about to enter the Promised Land. Over the past 8 weeks, we have recounted their turbulent journey through the wilderness, their search for safety and security, their search for home. And now they are standing on the eastern bank of the Jordan River – the doorstep of the Land of Israel. They have dreamed about this moment for 40 years and they are...Read more...
Fostering Independence in Mosh Aleph at OSRUI
07/17/2019 09:27:44 AM
We send kids to summer camp to have fun, make Jewish friends, embark on new experiences and to develop a sense of independence. In Moshavah, our chanichim (campers) choose to go on overnight wilderness trips – hiking, canoeing, biking, or rock climbing. During their travels, they covered miles on the water and on the trail. We witnessed them pushing themselves with a good sense of humor and constant support of one...Read more...