Latest News

Coming soon, to a Pesach seder near you!

Passover, your way   By Rabbi Noam Raucher It’s March, and Passover will be here before we know it. But at FJMC International, we haven’t forgotten. Here’s a special upcoming opportunity that you can participate in. FJMC recently sent out an email from Benny Sommerfeld, our vice president of Jewish programming, inviting our community to …

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Mental Healing Mind, Body, and Soul:

Mental Health Through Jewish Wisdom   By Rabbi Nate Crane Mental health conditions affect millions of people. Yet they remain stigmatized and often unspoken within the Jewish community. Drawing on biblical narratives, rabbinic thought, medieval Jewish philosophy and contemporary psychology, this presentation explores a Jewish perspective on mental health as a sacred and communal concern. …

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Who is Rabbi Nate Crane?

Upcoming FJMC Webinar speaker has deep Jewish leadership roots   By Norwin Merens Rabbi Nate Crane is the rabbi at Beth Hillel Bnai Emunah in Wilmette, Ill., having assumed the pulpit in 2019. Building on his current leadership, Rabbi Crane also serves on the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards (CJLS), the governing body of …

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Get Connected!

FJMC relaunches individual membership programming   By Leonard Zangwill FJMC International has traditionally been focused on our synagogue-affiliated men’s clubs across the United States and Canada, where groups of guys get together because they are already part of a shul together. But that no longer works for many Jewish men who may not have access …

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Religion, Pluralism, and Human Rights

A United Nations conference   By Dr. Steven Mandel The United Nations holds a lot of meetings and conferences, on a wide range of subjects. One such even was the U.S. Conference on Religion, Pluralism and Human Rights, held at U.N. Headquarters in New York City in January, and which I attended. Its mission is …

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The role of community

What does it mean to be a community?   By Bruce Tomar A community is a group of people connected by shared interests, identity, location or purpose, fostering social ties, mutual support and a sense of belonging, often leading to collective action and shared understanding. In Judaism, community is the primary organizing structure of Jewish …

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Building community through Men’s Club

A Feb. 21 sermon at B’nai Jeshurun in Cleveland   By Tom Sudow You’ve been there. Admit it — you’ve been there. You buy the toy, and on the side of the box are those three fateful words: “Some assembly required.” Or someone says, “Let’s buy the bookcase from IKEA. How hard could it be?” …

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Music to your ears!

Echad Mi Yodea – A Nation in Song By Jason Hecht In the spring of 2020, as families across Israel prepared for Passover in isolation, Channel 12 created a powerful musical moment of unity. As part of The Big Israeli Seder, 31 of Israel’s leading artists joined together—each recording from home—to perform the beloved Seder …

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Mamas’ Boys – Ep 3: The Crying Bully and Other Stories w/ Etgar Keret

Mamas’ Boys sits down with the amazing Etgar Keret, Israeli author/writer, to talk about the similarities and differences between Israeli and all Jewish men. Does it feel different being around Israeli men as compared to all Jewish men? How are those types of men alike? Mamas’ Boys is a smart, funny, and thoughtful podcast exploring …

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Shalom Brothers: Men and Masks (Tetzaveh)

Rabbi Noam Raucher, MA.Ed — Executive Director, FJMC International  Men are often met as uniforms before they are met as human beings. We read the “outside” first: the job title, the competence, the calm voice, the jokes, the silence, the muscle, the dad-energy, the “I’m fine.” We take those signals as the whole story because …

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