Religious Life

Recent Sermons

Freedom Seder – A Weekly Letter From Rabbi Davis – April 19, 2019

Shalom Chaverim Since returning from the Beth El civil rights trip to south, I’ve been sharing insights from the trip. Allow me to share one final, short thought in preparation for Pesach. In 1965, a newly published Haggadah was dedicated to the memory of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwirmer. They were three civil rights activists from the north who were murdered in Mississippi...

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Thank You, Lois! – A Weekly Letter From Rabbi Davis – April 12, 2019

Shalom Chaverim, I want to tell you about one of Beth El’s unsung heroes, Lois Siegel. But let me first give some background by sharing a teaching from the Torah. Our parasha this week and last week speak to the issue of isolation in the face of illness. Those who suffered from a disease called tzara’at were quarantined and forced to call out, “Impure, impure”...

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Securing Our Past/Future – A Weekly Letter From Rabbi Davis – April 5, 2019

Shalom Chaverim, The memorial and monuments we saw on Beth El’s recent civil rights trip were incredibly powerful. From the quiet water fountain outside the Southern Poverty Law Center to the heavy, dangling pillars of the lynching memorial, they left a lasting impression. Words can hardly convey the feeling. I was expecting to be moved by the design, the setting, the symbolism, etc. of these...

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Eliminating Hate – A Weekly Letter From Rabbi Alexander Davis – March 29, 2019

Shalom Chaverim I get to meet some interesting people. This week, I met with a man who has made it his mission to eliminate hatred from the world. A retired dentist, he is sickened when he looks out at the world and see events like the attack in Pittsburg and in New Zealand. And he sees it as his duty to respond. He has grand...

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Keep the Light Shining

Keep the Light Shining Tzav 16 Adar II 5779 | March 23, 2019 Rabbi Alexander Davis This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine Jesus is the Light, I’m gonna let Him shine… Let...

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White Nationalism – A Weekly Letter from Rabbi Alexander Davis – March 22, 2019

Shalom Chaverim On the last morning of Beth El’s recent civil rights tour, we went to Birmingham’s civil rights museum. The displays covered the history of segregation and the civil rights movement as well as international civil right champions and violators. One display stopped me in my tracks- a Klu Klux Klan robe. All week long I had seen videos of the KKK. But seeing...

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