Revolutionary Love is on the ballot. by Rabbi Nancy Kasten The energy was palpable as the crowd gathered to hear Valarie Kaur at Temple Emanu-El a week ago Thursday. Jews, Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists and agnostics came for the event. People of varying gender identities, of all ages and stages in life, from the East, West, North and South intermingled. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, students, clergy, business people, activists, organizers and artists—all were there. To be in the room

Navigating New Territory Together: Lessons from "Into the Woods" by Rabbi Nancy Kasten The world we knew has disappeared. It may not have been perfect, but its discomforts were familiar. We knew how to cope with them. Now something different is being demanded of us, and we are unprepared. The lingering Covid pandemic and global changes in climates are teaching us that we are inextricably and unavoidably interdependent. Technology and culture may have lured us into the illusion that we

How to Be Better Patriots by Rabbi Nancy Kasten The meme spread quickly after the Supreme Court overthrew Roe v. Wade: “4TH OF JULY HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO A SHORTAGE OF INDEPENDENCE. SINCERELY, WOMEN.” Independence Day, 2022 has come and gone. Some Americans lived through it happily and safely. Others fled from gunmen or from states where they were denied life-saving medical treatment. Division between and among Americans is exposing us to the very “dangers of invasion from without,

This excerpt was originally published in The Dallas Morning News. You can access the full article here. Roe has fallen. Does that mean America has escaped God’s wrath? The Old Testament didn’t have a lot of time for people who took it upon themselves to speak for God. They were called false prophets, and their actions were punishable by death. I called George Mason, recently retired senior pastor at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, to see if he ever has

What does it mean to be pro-Israel? As Cinemark and other local theaters screen a controversial film claiming to prove disinformation about election fraud in the 2020 presidential election, this exchange took place in the Texas Jewish Post. Rabbi Kasten encourages us all to think critically about what it means to be “pro-Israel.” This is more important than ever when disinformation and misinformation are undermining democracy in the U.S. and throughout the world.   April 28, 2022 Summary: This first

Learning from the convergence of Ramadan, Passover, and Easter by Rabbi Nancy Kasten This year Ramadan began on April 2, Passover begins on April 15, and Easter is celebrated on April 17. These three holidays play distinct roles in the unique cycles of Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities of faith. At the same time, they share common characteristics and offer important insight into our shared and inescapable human nature. All three take place over time. Ramadan is observed for a