North Country Reform Temple

10/07/2024

A Prayer for those who died a year ago, and those who died in the violence that has continued since then.

10/07/2024

🕯️ 💔☮️✡️💟

10/01/2024

Use this to write to your college or university prez

As the October 7th anniversary approaches, groups like Students for Justice in Palestine are planning disruptive protests, targeting memorial events. Even more alarming, reports suggest students may attempt to rebuild encampments and set up checkpoints, causing campus chaos.

09/28/2024

Free Covid tests available from the government:

COVID-19 testing can help you know if you have COVID-19 so you can decide what to do next, like getting treatment to reduce your risk of severe illness and taking steps to lower your chances of spreading the virus to others.

09/10/2024

Before clocks were invented, rabbis had to decide when “daytime” begins and “nighttime” ends. Some said it’s when you can see the difference between a green thread and a blue one. But my favorite answer is this, from an anonymous rabbi: “It is daylight when you can look into the face of another human being and recognize that he or she is your brother or sister. Until then,” he said, “it is night.”

At a time when darkness is sweeping over the land, I find this story powerful. While the traditional definition of “daylight” relies simply on the movement of the sun, this rabbi’s requires us to act: only when we look into the face of another can we determine whether it is light or dark.

Today our political conversations are caricatures, portraying those we disagree with as enemies: fascists, communists, capitalists, socialists. The longer we respond to these over-broad generalizations, the farther apart we are from looking into each other’s face and seeing light.

True, some people do not want to talk with us; they do not want to see or acknowledge our humanity. Judaism demands that we defend ourselves against those who want us gone, or dead. But now, as we prepare our souls for the start of a New Year, let us commit ourselves to looking into others’ faces, especially into the faces of those we consider “other.” There may we discover the light with which God created us, and them, and everything.
-September 10, 2024/7 Elul 5784
Rabbi Don Weber

08/03/2024

A beautiful SHABBAT AT THE BEACH with pizza prayer and delicious homemade desserts. A soulful evening. 💟✡️

07/08/2024

The High Holidays are approaching. Join us as we take a deep-ish dive into self examination in preparation. Open to all. 💟✡️

06/29/2024

A special service last night as we welcome Cantor Amelia Fox and celebrate Jason Churgel’s Bar Mitzvah
💟✡️💟✡️

06/24/2024

06/17/2024

Let’s get spiritual… time for self examination in preparation for the High Holidays. Open to all.

06/13/2024

This Sunday 1:30-4:30pm

04/19/2024

Passover Greetings from
Rabbi Michael Churgel

As we prepare to begin Shabbat HaGadol, the sabbath preceeding the Festival holiday of Passover, and early next week, our celebration of Passover, it is impossible to ignore the ongoing hostage crisis and war with Hamas in Gaza, as well as the ongoing clashes with Iran. One of our greetings during this Festival is "Mo'adim l'simchah," which means "this is the season of our rejoicing." It's difficult to rejoice in the midst of so much violence, pain, and suffering.

In several days we will join together with family and friends at seder to celebrate our redemption from slavery, and we will sing "Dayeinu" where we thank God for all the miracles and gifts, saying that each one would have been enough for us. In light of current events and the state of the world, we might argue that it is not enough. As President Herzog suggests in his Passover message this year, our empty chair at the seder this year is for the hostages that remain captive in Gaza. I have included a link below so that you might read and watch his message.

There is crucial work to be done, and we must continue our role as God's partners and work together with all of humanity to usher in that redemptive era, symbolized this season by Elijah the Prophet, who we invite with an open door, as we should all of our neighbors.

May this Passover provide more reasons for us to rejoice with one another as we continue to pray for the safe return of our captive Israeli family in Gaza, the general health and well-being of all those around the world who are suffering, and above all, SHALOM, peace between all people and nations. Only then will we be able to say Dayeinu and truly celebrate a Mo'adim l'simcha.

With blessings for shalom and simcha - peace, wholeness, and joy,

Rabbi Michael S. Churgel, RJE

04/15/2024

Leading National Jewish Organizations Issue Joint Statement Amid Escalating Iranian Hostilities
NEW YORK, NY // CHICAGO, IL — Over the past 24 hours, Iran and its proxies have launched a series of attacks on Israel, including rockets from Gaza and Lebanon, a cyberattack, and waves of drone and missile strikes originating from Iran, Iraq, Syria and elsewhere in the region. Israel evacuated military bases as U.S., Israeli, and allied countermeasures have effectively thwarted hundreds of attempted efforts to strike Israel. After the events of the last 24 hours, in the wake of the terrorist attacks of October 7th, representatives of State of Israel noted that it is bracing for future attacks over the coming hours and days.

As witnessed in the aftermath of the October 7th Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, conflict in the Middle East, and the targeting of Israel by terrorist organizations and state actors that sponsor terrorism, have historically coincided with a surge in antisemitic activity, hate, and violence targeting the Jewish community worldwide. Across North America, record levels of antisemitic incidents, threat incidents, and suspicious activity have been logged in the months following the Hamas attacks.

In light of the rapidly escalating tensions between Israel and Iran, The Jewish Federations of North America, Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Secure Community Network (SCN), Community Security Service (CSS), Orthodox Union (OU), and the Community Security Initiative of New York (CSI-NY) issued the following statement:

"We are deeply concerned by the serious escalation in attacks targeting Israel by Iran and its terrorist proxies across the Middle East, and the implications of this reality for the ability of the Jewish community to gather free from antisemitism, safely, and securely. Iran and its proxies – from Hamas to Hezbollah, and those individuals they seek to inspire – are united in their effort to destroy Israel, the Jewish people, and the United States. This reality requires that our community work together, in partnership with key allies, to prepare and protect our community.

Our organizations are coordinating in an unprecedented manner to do exactly that. Together, we have undertaken efforts to educate lawmakers and raise awareness amongst educators about the impacts of the current conflict on Jewish communities and students. Our organizations have created spaces and forums for the community to gather, tracked and assessed acts of hate, intimidation, harassment, and violence facing our community, and offered recommendations on protecting our facilities and organizations. The enemies of Israel and the Jewish people must understand that they will not frighten or intimidate us.

In the last 24 hours this coordination has involved working together to support partners and organizations across both North America and Israel, sharing relevant information on current events and domestic issues, as well coordinating to ensure our community may come together safely and securely. The security experts operating within the Jewish community continue to recommend that facilities remain open and operational, absent direct, specific information from law enforcement otherwise.

The story of the Jewish people is a story of resilience, and we shall emerge, too, from this moment as an even stronger, prouder people."