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TBE’s Community Voice

ā€œThis is a place of honest telling,ā€ Rabbi Sisenwine told Rep. Joe Kennedy III during a December 2016 conversation in the TBE Sanctuary. I heard the words from the back row, where I had been sitting as a visitor for twelve Shabbats. It’s possible to draw a line, with a few twists, between that evening’s message and this year’s Yom Kippur Hour of Response, when I was one of the three speakers. TBE is indeed a place of many stories, a community where it is safe to share. I’m very grateful to be part of it.

Standing in front of fellow congregants was a surprising moment for me. I was pleased to recognize so many people. Nonetheless, it was the opposite of how I once expected to share my story: I’d chosen a pen name, and here I was showing my face and owning my words.

In June, Tablet Magazine published a personal essay about my late in life return to Judaism. The social media tag ā€œJew-nitarianism foreverā€ refers to the fact that even after joining TBE, I continued my 20-year affiliation with a Unitarian Universalist congregation. What I presented from the bimah a few months later expanded on a difficult World War II family history, with less about the UU church. Both versions told how embracing Judaism gave me ā€œnew eyesā€ through which to view life.

Because the Tablet essay is a celebration of TBE, I want to share it with those in the community who missed its publication. Whatever the takeaways on the story’s details, I hope there is an overarching lesson: our Jewish tradition is full of beautiful reminders that we should cultivate gratitude for everyday blessings.

Read my essay: Tabletmag.com/Jewish-Life-and-Religion/285128/Friday-Night-Fever

 

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