Religion

In the autumn of 2018, eleven people were brutally massacred during Shabbat services at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, shattering our collective sense of safety. The trauma reverberated far beyond Pennsylvania, reaching directly into the Jewish souls of Morgan Hill, Gilroy and...

The last time I wrote this column, I argued that “faith at its best does not teach us to fear our neighbors. It teaches us to see them.” I’ve been thinking about that word—see—quite a bit lately.  More precisely, I’ve been wondering: What is the difference...

Dozens of clergy and more than 100 community members gathered Aug. 30 outside the site of a proposed federal immigration detention facility on Holsclaw Road near Gilroy, launching what organizers say will be a monthly series of interfaith prayer vigils opposing the project. The vigil,...

We live in a culture obsessed with safety. We soften the post before sending it. We stay quiet to keep the peace. Silence, we've decided, is safe.  I'm not so sure anymore. It's just a quieter cost—the friendship that cools because you never said the...

How has your faith changed your life? Or has it?  In my daily Bible reading, I came across this nugget: “Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey...

Today I share with you a recent letter to the entire membership of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America from our Presiding Bishop, The Rev. Yehiel Curry. He addresses the debate about recent trends in our country to champion particular religious beliefs and divide our...

The United States recently celebrated the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The authors and signers announced that they were no longer subject to the king of England. They declared they were independent.  I want to mention another word; interdependence. We...

The last week or two in July can mean a number of things. For children, summer vacation is starting to wrap up and thoughts start turning to the coming school year. This is also the time for the Gilroy Garlic Festival.   But if you live...

The Fourth of July has passed. The birthday is over. Our nation is officially 250 years old. I’m old enough to remember America’s last big birthday, the Bicentennial of 1976 when we celebrated 200 years. It was great. The mood was euphoric, a feeling...

In 2006, Congregation Emeth in Morgan Hill welcomed Debbie Israel as a part-time student rabbi from the Academy for Jewish Religion in Southern California. When she was ordained, the Jewish temple’s Board of Directors enthusiastically invited her to become their permanent rabbi. Over the next...