From Where I Sit

Today is Giving Tuesday and the fact that it falls between the lighting of the 2nd and 3rd Hanukkah candle is a good thing. In the spirit of Hanukkah, we have an opportunity to celebrate our favorite nonprofits, while also showing our dedication to the work they do. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

We sometimes forget that just because we don't wear a team uniform, we can still be a part of a team. Working towards similar goals, our teammates and us have a unique responsibility to one another and we complement each other's abilities. It is through that teamwork and understanding of our roles that we are able to accomplish so much. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

Although I never did become a rabbi as I had always hoped, synagogue life has always been an important part of my Judaism. It is why I feel so proud that the Jewish Federation establish and still coordinates the Synagogue Presidents' Council. This group of current synagogue presidents meets quarterly and provides them the opportunity to come together and discuss issues each are facing in their respective organizations. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

It is sometimes hard to clearly articulate what the Jewish Federation is and does. Over the course of the next several weeks, I am going to share examples how we work towards fulfilling our mission and how our work impacts the lives of the community. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

While a lot has been made recently about the ills of social media, nonprofits need to take a page from sites like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and others. What social media is really good about is allowing their users to highlight and share things going on in their lives. It is in this vain that organizations like the Jewish Federation need to remember in order to continue to remind the community of what we do and highlight the impact we make on community members lives. If we don't, people can and will question the purpose of the organization. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

It never fails that shortly after the High Holy Days, Jews all over the world feel a deeper connection Jewishly. There are exciting ways for people to engage with their local Jewish community over the next several months. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

I was sad that the Jewish holy days ended last week, but last night's lightening and sudden storm reminded me to appreciate the awe-inspiring world around us. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

At a time when we will soon be dancing with our tradition and history as we celebrate Simchat Torah, this celebration is still tempered by COVID. And yet, there may soon be some happy news as children 5-12 may be able to be vaccinated in the next several weeks. I am hopeful that this new group of eligible people get the vaccine and help us put an end to this insidious illness. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

Long before Pumpkin Spiced Lattes (or anything else pumpkin flavored) heralded the start of Fall... there was Sukkot. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

While earth-shattering events like the Temple's destruction, the Spanish Inquisition, and the Holocaust have changed the course of Jewish history, the recent American Jews in 2020 survey from the Pew Research Center, as well as its 2013 Portrait of American Jews, will reshape the future of Judaism. And this is a good thing. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

This is a very special time of year.... as the school year has just recently begun and with it a wide range of possibilities and opportunities... it is a chance for new beginnings. The Jewish calendar and tradition provides the same opportunity during the period of time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

I am tired, but it is not because I did not get enough sleep last night. No... it has to do with everything going on around the world right now. I would love to take a nap so I could turn my attention to something else instead of all of the dread we are currently faced with. And with Rosh Hashanah set to begin at sundown on Monday, Sept. 5, now is the time to turn our attention to looking at ways we can be a better version of ourselves in the year to come. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

Each year we are provided a blank canvas to create a picture to reflect on the following year. With the start of Rosh Hashanah, it is time to start thinking about this picture and what experiences and things we want to be able to look back in next Rosh Hashanah. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

Although it may feel like we have been here before, this year feels very different than last due to the uncertainty and ever changing nature that the Delta variant has brought into our lives. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

While we may not have liked hearing "Because I said so" or "It's for your own good" as children, as adults we now know that there is validity to these statements. Our leaders are doing what they believe is in the best interest for all of us to not just mitigate COVID but also to do what is necessary to try and keep us from going back into a lockdown situation as we did early last year. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

There is a direct correlation between knowing your neighbors and taking their needs, as well as society's needs, into consideration when we make personal choices. The implications of our shift away from connecting with society, focusing only on ourselves and our needs, have led to the way we have confronted COVID today. It is time for us to shift our thinking and in so doing, life can and will become simpler again. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

While I really enjoy roller coasters, I am really tired of being on the COVID one for this long. I am ready to move to the merry-go-round. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

Raise your hand if you believed we would still be watching COVID numbers at this point last year. I am hopeful that the latest surge will be a wake up call for everyone and that more people choose to get vaccinated instead of regretting their decision when they are infected and in an ICU when it is too late. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

With the backdrop of a significant uptick in COVID numbers, the 2020 Summer Olympics are set to begin this Friday. What better display of the idea that our world is interconnected than watching the Parade of Nations. Enjoy it and the imagery it portrays. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

Organizations all over the state have been developing protocols and procedures in order to ensure people are safe when they return to in-person activities. This includes synagogues and organizations like the Jewish Federation. However, as the COVID numbers continue to climb, these plans continue to need to be updated and evolve. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

While the 4th of July is always one of my favorite holidays of the year, this year's celebration was tempered once again by COVID. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

Over time we tend to forget what and how we feel in the moment we are experiencing it. However, I feel like with something as monumental as COVID, these feelings would remain longer than they have for me. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

Now with the COVID restrictions lifted, the feelings of apprehension, uneasiness, and nervousness is normal and should go away in due time. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

Governor Newsom has officially lifted almost all of the COVID-related restrictions, but it does not mean the end of the pandemic. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

We look to our educators to nurture and safeguard the lives of their our youth. When they support causes like United Teachers Los Angeles' support of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), they do the exact opposite... they make Jewish students the target. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

Our Jewish world is in the midst of an inflection point as illustrated in the Pew Research Center's Jewish Americans in 2020 survey. It is up to the Jewish organization and Jewish professionals to meet today's Jews where they are at, instead of insisting that they conform the "accepted" Jewish worlds expectations of how they should engage. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

The last 15 months have taught us many things... including how ingenious and creative people can be when confronted with challenges. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

When Israel is perceived to have done something wrong, or heavy-handed, it is worldwide Jewry that is attacked. Jews all over the world become the target of hate speech, antisemitic diatribes, and other verbal or even physical attacks. We are being blamed and targeted as a group because of this. It is beyond reproach and needs to stop. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

I want to share some personal perspectives on the situation in Israel --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

This week's episode focuses on a powerful teaching from Pirkei Avot (Sayings of our Fathers) that is as relevant today as it was over 1500 years ago. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

With each day we get closer and closer to more and more business, entertainment venues, etc. returning to in-person opportunities. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

At the end of March, the Anti-Defamation League shared its annual audit of hate incidents. I was appalled at the percentages they reported and was compelled to share the following message with my community. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

Each year, as I plan for my family's Passover seder, I try to find poignant and meaningful readings to share. This year, I found a powerful message that I share in this episode of From Where I Sit. I share it following the huge rise in gun violent attacks that we witnessed recently. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

Thank you for stopping by to check out the latest From Where I Sit. This episode was shared with the greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys Jewish community the week of April 26. Let me know what you think and please subscribe to this podcast to hear more of my musings and thoughts From Where I Sit. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support

Hi everyone. Glad you stopped by and clicked on my podcast. This week's From Where I Sit is all about colors and how I am excited, and a little bit nervous, about LA County's COVID color being moved to yellow. Let me know what you think and if you have ideas for future podcasts. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jason-moss6/support