Rabbi Noam Raucher, MA.Ed — Executive Director, FJMC International One of my favorite songs is Stevie Wonder’s “I Just Called to Say I Love You.” What makes it so good is that the song refuses to wait for a special occasion. No holiday, no anniversary, no skywriting, no chocolate, no dramatic scene in the rain. It is …
On the Beginning of Wellnessby Jake Sheff, D.O., F.A.A.P. Editor’s Note: This was originally delivered by the author on March 13, 2026, as the D’var Torah at the Congregation Neveh Shalom Men’s Club Shabbat in Portland, OR. In this week’s Torah portion, Vayak’hel-Pekudai, we read about Moses gathering the Israelites in the desert to build …
Rabbi Noam Raucher, MA.Ed — Executive Director, FJMC International Two words name this double portion: Vayakhel–Pekudei. They don’t sound dramatic. They are. Vayakhel means and he gathered—not that Moses gathered himself, but that the people gathered. Pekudei means these are the records—the accounting of what was built, what was given, what was done, and what can be proven. Vayakhel matters because …
Rabbi Noam Raucher, MA.Ed — Executive Director, FJMC International In Ki Tisa, the Torah interrupts big leadership with small, stubborn truths: you have worth before you produce, limits before you collapse, and creativity before you burn out. It’s not a parashah about becoming impressive. It’s a parashah about becoming whole. Worth beyond productivity – The …
Widow Jane Decadence Straight Bourbon 10-Year-Old By Al Davis Shalom achim. Last month I was pleased to present a higher end Scotch that, while delicious, might not be priced within everyone’s liquor budget. This time we’re looking at a marvelous bourbon from — believe it or not — Brooklyn, N.Y. I’m talking about Widow …
Time to take off your masks By Rabbi Noam Raucher Men know masks. Not the papier-mâché kind, not the Purim-store Batman face that snaps behind your ears and smells faintly of plastic. I mean the other masks: the ones we learn to wear so early we forget they’re masks at all. The competent mask. …
2027 International Convention to be held in San Francisco By Jay Steinmetz FJMC International is pleased to present our 2027 International Convention, to be held from July 8-11, 2027, at the Westin St. Francis Hotel at Union Square in San Francisco. Chaired by Jay Steinmetz, with Rob Blitzer as convention vice-chair, this special occasion …
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 …
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. …
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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