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JFGSB Blog

Explore news and featured stories about Jewish Federation programs, volunteers, donors, special events and updates from our partners in Israel. Learn how you can become more in engaged with the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara.

Aug 28, 2020

A Sabbath Message: Elul Jewel #2 – The Power of Prayer

“The very first word Jews say every day is Modeh even before we think, we thank. That’s the first rule of prayer. It’s about not taking life for granted. It’s a meditation on the miracle of being. We are here. We might not have been. Somehow, that makes every day a celebratio…

Aug 21, 2020

A Sabbath Message: The Jewel of Elul – An Inner Journey

“On this journey, our soul will awaken to itself. We will venture from innocence to sin and back to innocence again. This is a journey from denial to awareness, from self-deception to judgement and self-forgiveness…It is the snapshot the Jewish people pull out every single autumn of the …

Aug 14, 2020

A Sabbath Message: Choosing Happiness in Challenging Times

“Everyone wants happiness, no one wants pain. But you can’t make a rainbow without a little rain.” – Dolly Parton

With the arrival of Shabbat this week, I find myself reflecting upon compelling research I have been reading about lately: the importance of HAPPINESS during difficul…

Aug 7, 2020

A Sabbath Message: All You Need Is Love

This week, as we look forward to Sabbath’s blessed arrival once again, I realize that my messages to you are often serious, even heavy. So, shifting gears somewhat, I will address something perhaps less solemn – but just as important: LOVE. A simple word with many meanings and ramific…

Jul 24, 2020

A Sabbath Message: The Extraordinary Power of Music During Trying Times

“There is an inner connection between music and the spirit. When language aspires to the transcendent, and the soul longs to break free of the gravitational pull of the earth, it modulates into song. Tolstoy called it ‘the shorthand of emotion.’ Words are the language of the mind –…