Renewing the Tradition of Shabbat Hospitality
I wanted to share with friends of Panim Hadashot-New Faces that I have accepted a full time interim rabbinic pulpit position with Congregation B'nai Israel in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I will begin my work at the congregation in late August. In consultation with the Panim Hadashot board of directors we ...continue reading "An Important Announcement from Rabbi Dov Gartenberg"
I picked up a couple in Capital Hill area of Seattle to take them to the airport. The woman saw my kippah and quickly surmised that I was a rabbi. It turns out that she was a therapist who had a unique insight into the work that I do for ...continue reading "Tales of the Lyfter Rebbe, 5/22/19 Distractions"
Yesterday and today brought to me one interesting rider after another. It started with a rider who put his euphonium horn in my back seat. It turns out that he plays it with 35 other wind musicians of the Ballard Sedentary Sousa Band. I took him to his rehearsal and ...continue reading "Tales of the Lyfter Rebbe, May 15, 2019"
After losing her mother-in-law in last October’s Pittsburgh massacre, Marnie Fienberg quit her job.
One of the Torah’s central projects is to turn memory into empathy and moral responsibility.
The news of the massacre at a Mosque in New Zealand is another reminder of the destructive virus of acts of hatred and violence that shatter our world. The painful echoes of Charleston and Pittsburgh are heard again. As an organization that brings people through hospitality, we are especially pained ...continue reading "Our Hearts are Breaking"
From Israel to SE Alaska I picked up a young man named Joel in the University District who was loaded with gear. As it turned out he was on his way to Southeast Alaska to work as a counselor on a wilderness program for troubled teens. The teens, he told ...continue reading "Tales of the Lyfter Rebbe, Monday, Feb 25, 2019"
A key part of our Home Shabbat Experience that Panim Hadashot offers is the presence of a 'Shabbat Animator'. A Shabbat Animator "animates"-brings alive the experience of Shabbat at home. Rabbi Dov Gartenberg is our lead Shabbat Animator. He has a mastery of Shabbat table music and folksongs. As a ...continue reading "What is a Shabbat Animator?"
Panim Hadashot, the Hebrew term that is our name, means new face or new faces. The term originates in the Talmud and refers to a ancient wedding tradition of inviting guests to celebrations from beyond the immediate circles of family and friends. Panim Hadashot seeks to refresh this ancient Jewish ...continue reading "A Few New Faces"
The Passing of Two Great Israelis