This summer a faculty member of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem spoke to my cohort of rabbis about Jews…and climate change. She stated very simply to me and to my colleagues that our role right now is to be hospice rabbis for our entire congregations. The destruction of our planet is inevitable and there will be unimaginable suffering, death, destruction, and loss. And rabbis are called to care for people when they are suffering. So we must now prepare for an extremely difficult future of shock and grief.

I am so excited to be back at the synagogue and that we have started the month of Elul.

As the month that precedes Rosh Hashanah and the Yamim Noraim, Elul is a time of deep reflection. We look back at the year that has passed and begin the difficult and redemptive work of tshuvah. We also look forward to the year ahead and feel gratitude for the many blessings that we hope to carry from 5782 into 5783.

As I head to Jerusalem this Sunday and begin two months of learning and sabbatical, I am inspired by the voices of my teachers, and particularly during this Pride Month, I invite you to listen to the voices of Rabbi Rachel Adler Ph.D., Rabbi Mike Moskowitz, and Rabbi Abby Stein.

I have a journal in which each date has a page so that each year you can write a few lines about what you did on that day and then look back at what you did on the same date in past years. On June 3, 2014, I wrote the following: “Tikkun Leil Shavuot was a huge success. Over 25 [people in my living room] and they seemed to have a great time.” And then, of course, I raved about Ruby Robinson’s chocolate cheesecake.

As we celebrate our centennial year, we’re excited to announce that construction will begin on our transformational building renovation project in June! The Downtown Synagogue will become a more welcoming and accessible space as we trade our ground-floor brick walls for floor-to-ceiling (ballistic grade) glass windows and install a new ADA compliant elevator. We’re upgrading our Sanctuary, social hall, and kitchen, dedicating a space for children, and building plenty of flexible program and event space.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. And of course, just like every day should be Earth Day, every month should be one in which we are mindful of the importance of mental health. But tragically mental illness is not only frequently ignored, it is often stigmatized. And so I am grateful for the opportunity to be reminded that our mental health matters.