Voices of Our Clergy

January 11, 2026 ~ Tevet 22, 5786
Dear Temple Israel Family,

When our nation and world awakened to the news of the devastating and senseless arson attack on our sister congregation, Temple Beth Israel of Jackson, it hit too close to home.

So many of...Read more...

Following the passing of my rabbinic and life role model 18 years ago, I uncovered something extraordinary about my father — a revelation many of you may have experienced discovering unknown facets of your own loved ones’ lives. 

I found a receipt from...Read more...

Why do we identify younger generations by letters (Gen X, Y, Z) while we define older ones by characteristics (Greatest, Silent, Baby Boomers)?

One theory is the letters began as placeholders while we waited to see what would define each generation.

Gen X...Read more...

“With his face to the enemy,” Helen Cohen wrote about her soldier son.

Albert Cohen Jr. was born in New Orleans in 1903 to Albert Cohen of England and Helen Cohen of Scotland. In 1905, the family moved to 1673 E. Beard Place in Memphis.

In April 1917,...Read more...

If you read my columns regularly, you know I often come around to a word or concept from my life as a rabbi. That’s who I am. It comes naturally.

Several readers have asked for my perspective as a Jewish person on the slow return of kidnapped Israeli hostages...Read more...

We sometimes forget how the unique perspective of children, particularly babies and toddlers, can foster our own faith.

Everything is new and fresh. Every experience a discovery, an exploration of the world with rapid-fire neuro connections forming every single...Read more...

This is a busy time of year for me as a rabbi. Members of my faith community, and many who are not Jewish, seek counsel to share the story of their pain during this so-called “happy holiday” season.

I am not a psychologist, but therapists and...Read more...

In a Temple Israel prayer class I taught years ago, an older gentleman raised his hand to speak.

“I think a major problem with worship services and prayer in general is teaching people what to pray for,” he said. “I look back over the years when I was much...Read more...

Did you watch the Olympics? In some households, nothing else was on television for those weeks. Others of us liked to check in with the sports we like or the athletes who have been in the news, or maybe we enjoyed seeing if the underdog was going to come from sixth place...Read more...

Micah Greenstein answers the phone, and the weariness is audible in his voice.

“How are you doing?” is a dumb way to start the conversation in wake of recent events, and the Temple Israel Rabbi says, “I’m struggling. It’s hard to sleep. It’s...Read more...