A HUGE MAZAL TOV to JOANIE LEEDS, who just yesterday won a Grammy for her album called All The Ladies. The title track, featuring Lisa Loeb, is a powerfully positive rock anthem affirming the commitment between women to lift one another up. 

Also on the album is a title called RBG in honor of none other than Ruth Bader Ginsburg who would have turned 88 years old TODAY. Joanie is a huge RBG fan, and the track pays homage to the justice with a chorus:

"I wanna be just like RBG, fighting for our rights and shining truth."

How appropriate to have this happen halfway through Women's History Month! And to think we have the opportunity to enjoy this year's Keeping It Sacred Open Door Passover Seder WITH Joanie Leeds to close out the month, is surreal! Registration is open so please register HERE. Let's enjoy Joanie's vibrant, joyful musicality as we celebrate freedom together! The program is open to all, so feel encouraged to invite your friends, too!

This season, when Jewish tradition invites us to feel as if we personally have been liberated from narrow places, may we all achieve greater freedom to express the fullness of our humanity!

Together, we’re #keepingitsacred...

Rabbi Heather Miller, 

Founder, Keeping It Sacred

OPEN DOOR PASSOVER SEDER

We have an amazing opportunity to join Rabbi Heather Miller and Grammy WINNING Artist Joanie Leeds for a welcoming musical Open Door Passover Seder-- all faiths and ages welcome! Learn and celebrate key parts of the seder in a joyful, inclusive environment. No experience necessary. Bring your friends. 

On Joanie Leeds: "The powerful and truthful messaging by the singer-songwriter reminds listeners to be bold, be true and to stay united."

JEWISH WEDDINGS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

Professor Vanessa Ochs of the Department of Religious Studies of the University of Virginia invited Rabbi Miller to speak as an expert to her 3000 level class called "Jewish Weddings." Rabbi Miller spoke about her approach to working with engaged couples, co-creating wedding ceremonies, and preparing couples for their marriage thereafter. See Professor Ochs' introduction of Rabbi Miller here:

CCAR CONVENTION 2021

This week, the professional Reform rabbinical association known as the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) is hosting its convention online. Rabbi Miller has participated in opening programs including an incredibly inspiring keynote by Isabel Wilkerson, author of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. When asked what rabbis of the largest and most diverse movement of the Jewish people can do to surely pursue justice (as is commanded in Deuteronomy 16:20), she noted several actions we can take:

-to be the bridge between those with power and those without

-to educate people on historic inequities

-to transcend the divisions created for us

-to recognize that we all suffer from the way the system is set up 

-to get to the root of why people behave in the manner they do
-to treat inequities as a chronic illness that requires continual maintenance

-to responsibly tend to the nation as if it were a house and renovate responsibly. 

Wilkerson shared that her book's message is a prayer for our country.  To that, we at Keeping It Sacred say, "Amen!"

NEIGHBORHOOD CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF LAGUNA BEACH

Pastor Rodrick Echols invited Rabbi Miller to preach in loving memory of the life's work and legacy of Representative John Lewis who was instrumental in the Civil Rights Movement and famously crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday. Rabbi Miller will lift up his memory on March 21 at 10am PT on the church's YouTube Channel. 

INTERFAITH COUNCIL OF GREATER RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA

This past week, Vice President Rabbi Heather Miller led the meeting of the Interfaith Council of Greater Rancho Santa Margarita. The group is planning a vision for unity and accompanying programming to be the light of universal respect and appreciation in the world. We also learned from Debbie Taylor about the national organization called Just Serve which connects individuals to service projects in their area. The group was pleased to find out there are many COVID-safe ways to make a difference. Check out the website, here. 

KESHET & TRUAH STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF THE EQUALITY ACT

Rabbi Miller and Keeping It Sacred signed the Keshet and Truah statement in support of the Equality Act.  See the words of letter here:

ACCESS JUDAISM CLASSES

Please join Rabbi Miller and a beautiful collection of people who are exploring Jewish learning through the inaugural experience of the Keeping It Sacred Signature Program: Access Judaism. Join for one class, one session, or all remaining classes!

Participants have shared:

"It was such a great group. It was an amazing start to my day. Looking forward to next week."

"It was a pleasure to study with you today. Reading and listening to others' views and understanding of God brings into light my perception of God."

"It was a wonderful class and it seems like it can only get better as we share and learn more about each other." 

"It’s exhilarating."

We will begin Session 2 begins on 4/11! To register, please go to: keepingitsacred.com/upcoming-1

HEALING CIRCLE & TALMUD TEXT STUDY EVERY THURSDAY

Ever want to jump into a conversation with the rabbinic sages of old? Now you can! Join us as we study a page of Talmud every day, adding our perspectives and the relevance to our own lives as we go along. 

The more varied the participants the deeper the conversations. Thursdays 11am PT/2pm ET.

Currently, we are 86 members strong from 20 different states and 4 countries!

We are:

People interested in becoming Jewish

Members of various Jewish denominations

Clergy

Lay leaders

Retired people

People who are not Jewish

We are in our 20s to 80s, and we are everywhere on the spectrum of gender.

Build community affirming of one another’s journey in the sea of Talmud with us! Benefit from the wisdom of Jewish tradition!

What people say:

"Talmud study has opened a window to that world for me. I love the anthropology and sociology of it all."

"The minority opinions may someday count as much as the majority opinions. It reminds us that things change the Halacha changes and we change each year that we read it."

"We have the opportunity to compare the Halacha we are practicing today with the one they were writing and studying in the Talmud... It has been very interesting how things have evolved how we keep the tradition in our own way."

"I feel very close to this amazing group and I'm grateful to Rabbi Miller for conducting it."

AND just prior to our Talmud Study, we hold space for check-ins and healing prayers for loved ones in need, including ourselves. 

To join and of these gatherings, please send Rabbi Miller an email or DM on Facebook to be added to the closed, secret Facebook group and/or the weekly text study group. And look for us on Instagram daily HERE.

SIYYUM TALMUD TRACTATE PESACHIM!

On March 23, at 10am PT/1pm ET, those around the world who have been studying a page of Talmud each day (known as the Daf Yomi) will all celebrate the end of Tractate Pesachim. We, at Keeping It Sacred, will host a special celebration. Grab your party hat or other celebratory hat, and register to gather together over zoom. Register HERE. 

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HUC CONNECT

Join us as we learn from Sara J. Bloomfield, Director, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on Thursday, April 15 at noon PT/ 3pm ET. How will Holocaust history and memory be sustained and transmitted in perpetuity? Learn about the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s impact in preserving the evidence, educating diverse audiences, fighting antisemitism, and preventing genocide, as we honor Sara J. Bloomfield with HUC’s highest humanitarian award, the Roger E. Joseph Prize. Special discussion to follow. No experience necessary. All are welcome! Register at: huc.edu/HUCConnect and to get the link to the discussion afterwards, be sure to cite Keeping It Sacred as the Synagogue/Organization.  

JEWS OF COLOR

Tuesday, May 11 at 3pm PT/ 6pm ET, join Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Central Synagogue, New York City, Bruce Phillips, Ph.D. Professor of Sociology & Jewish Communal Service, HUC/Los Angeles, Andrew Rehfeld, Ph.D., HUC President, Moderator-- when the Torah first calls us a People, coming out of Egypt, we are described as an erev rav, a “mixed multitude.” It’s time to refute the definition of Jews as a race – which has been used to justify antisemitism, violence, and even genocide – and adopt a definition of covenant as the foundation of Jewish peoplehood, one that embraces Jews of color and celebrates diversity and inclusion. Special discussion to follow. No experience necessary. All are welcome! Register at: huc.edu/HUCConnect and to get the link to the discussion afterwards, be sure to cite Keeping It Sacred as the Synagogue/Organization.

CHAGALL AND THE BIBLE

Tuesday, June 8 at 12pm PT/ 3pm ET, Enjoy this Guest Lecture by Jean Bloch Rosensaft, Director, Dr. Bernard Heller Museum, HUC-JIR/New York. Marc Chagall was profoundly inspired by the Bible throughout his career, producing biblical works in a broad array of mediums, including paintings, etchings, sculptures, mosaics, tapestries, stained-glass windows, ceramics, and stage set designs. Discover how memories of his youth in Bitebsk, his 1931 visit to Palestine, the Russian Revolution, the Holocaust, his personal religiosity, and his admiration for the old masters informed his imagination to create uniquely modern visual interpretations of the core text of the Jewish people. Special discussion to follow. No experience necessary. All are welcome! Register at: huc.edu/HUCConnect and to get the link to the discussion afterwards, be sure to cite Keeping It Sacred as the Synagogue/Organization.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

iCal USER? 

If you use iCal and would like the complete Keeping It Sacred calendar added to your calendar, click the link at the bottom of the page HERE. This way you won't miss an opportunity to connect via our LIVE activities. 

EVERY DAY

Please enjoy our 7-episode web series and podcast: People Keeping It Sacred on YouTube HERE or on your favorite podcast player (like: Spotify  Google Podcasts, Apple + Podcasts, RadioPublic, Breaker, and PocketCasts). To learn more about Jewish holidays, check out our "A bit about... the holidays" HERE. 

ONGOING: SPIRITUAL COUNSELING

Rabbi Miller is available for 1-on-1 spiritual counseling; pay what you can. Topics are based upon the participant and can include your personal theological understanding of coronavirus, spiritually making space for others in your home, the spirituality of isolation and finding your way back to sacred connection. For more information, click HERE.

EVERY THURSDAY: PRAYER CIRCLE

Join us as we gather Thursdays for a Prayer Circle. Lift up names of those who are ill, and join together for support and community. All are welcome. 10:30am PST/ 1:30pm EST/ 3:30pm Brazil time, 6:30pm London-time. Register for this program HERE. 

EVERY THURSDAY: KEEPING IT SACRED-DAF YOMI GROUP MEET-UP

Our Facebook group will host our next virtual meetup via zoom. For the link to attend this meeting Thursdays 11am PST, 2pm EST, 4pm Brazil time, 7pm London time. Register for this program HERE.  

SUNDAY, 3/21: NEIGHBORHOOD CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

At 10am PT/ 1pm ET, at the invitation of Pastor Rodrick Echols, Rabbi Miller will preach in loving memory of the life's work and legacy of Representative John Lewis who was instrumental in the Civil Rights Movement and famously crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday. Rabbi Miller will lift up his memory on March 21 at 10am PT on the church's YouTube Channel. Tune in then here: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVb9uzcbIP_tYSA5KKbhhDg

TUESDAY, 3/23: TALMUD TRACTATE PESACHIM SIYYUM PARTY!

3/23 at 10am PT/1pm ET, those around the world who have been studying a page of Talmud each day known as the Daf Yomi will all celebrate the end of Tractate Pesachim. We, at Keeping It Sacred, will host our own celebration. Grab your party hat or other celebratory hat, and register to gather together over zoom. Register HERE. 

SUNDAY, 3/28: OPEN DOOR PASSOVER SEDER

3/28 at 1pm PT/4pm ET, we have an amazing opportunity to join Rabbi Heather Miller and Grammy WINNING Artist Joanie Leeds for a welcoming musical Open Door Passover Seder-- all faiths and ages welcome! Learn and celebrate key parts of the seder in a joyful, inclusive environment. No experience necessary. Bring your friends. Register at: bitly.com/KITSRSVP

2021: ACCESS JUDAISM: ADULT EDUCATION CLASSES SESSION 2!

Please save the dates for accessible, relevant, and empowering Jewish learning! Classes will be held at 10am PT/1pm ET via zoom. No experience necessary. All are welcome! Register here: keepingitsacred.com/upcoming-1

4/11 The Intelligent Design of the Prayerbook

Stand up. Sit back down. Skip 23 pages ahead. Go back. What is with the prayer service? You might be surprised to know there is actually a brilliant order to the service. In just one hour, get a sense of the intelligent design of services, and open up a new way to understand Jewish spiritual practice. 

4/18 Reform Renovations of the Prayerbook

Home renovation shows feature flippers stripping old, outdated homes down to the bare bones only to rework them into beautiful sanctuaries of living. This is essentially what the Reform Rabbis of the early 19th century did to the prayerbook. Learn how they did it thoughtfully, and about the important practice of updating ritual that continues today.

4/25 Rituals as Markers of Transition

Jewish ritual is meant to mark significant life transitions. See how Jewish lifecycle provide structure for living with sanctity. Learn also about contemporary rituals, like those for getting a COVID-19 vaccination, infertility, gender transitions, going into remission from cancer, and more. 

5/2 The Characteristics of a Good Jew

What are the characteristics of a good Jew? Learn about the Mussar movement and get an understanding of the spiritual legacy of mussar. Learn insights on humility, generosity and truth. Find inspiration to cultivate these qualities in your own life. 

5/9 Slam Poetry in the Golden Age

Medieval Spain birthed a Golden Age for the Jews. And, out of this era came a diverse array of poetry that is relevant today. From highly structured sacred praises of the Divine, to short quips about old age, to involved love poetry. Join us as we explore this vibrant literature.

5/16 Bad Theology: Terrible Explanations of Why the Righteous Suffer

Why do bad things happen to good people? We don't know. But we do know a bad explanation when we hear it. Join this class to begin to heal from spiritually corrosive explanations of your suffering, to learn how to best support a suffering loved one, and how to draw boundaries when someone shares an unhelpful word.

5/23 Siblings or Cousins?: Jews and Christians in the First Century

Did Christianity spring forth from Judaism? Or did contemporary Judaism and Christianity emerge together? Learn the roots of both and you decide: Siblings or Cousins or parent/child? We'll make proto-rabbinic Judaism fun and accessible! 

5/30 Before You Die Consider these Rabbinic Thoughts

What are the most important things to think about in life? What will we be held accountable for later? How can we live the best life possible? Learn from the wisdom that was shaped over millenia in the Jewish tradition. 

Please see keepingitsacred.com/accessjudaism and register for, one class, one session, or the whole program HERE. These classes are free with suggested donation of $25/class, $180/session, $300 for the entire program; no one will be turned away for lack of funds. All are welcome!

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HEBREW UNION COLLEGE: CONNECT

4/15 Reflections on the Significance of Holocaust Memory

Join us as we learn from Sara J. Bloomfield, Director, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on Thursday, April 15 at noon PT/ 3pm ET. How will Holocaust history and memory be sustained and transmitted in perpetuity? Learn about the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s impact in preserving the evidence, educating diverse audiences, fighting antisemitism, and preventing genocide, as we honor Sara J. Bloomfield with HUC’s highest humanitarian award, the Roger E. Joseph Prize. Special discussion to follow. No experience necessary. All are welcome! Register at: huc.edu/HUCConnect and to get the link to the discussion afterwards, be sure to cite Keeping It Sacred as the Synagogue/Organization.

5/11 Jews of Color

Tuesday, May 11 at 3pm PT/ 6pm ET, join Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Central Synagogue, New York City, Bruce Phillips, Ph.D. Professor of Sociology & Jewish Communal Service, HUC/Los Angeles, Andrew Rehfeld, Ph.D., HUC President, Moderator-- when the Torah first calls us a People, coming out of Egypt, we are described as an erev rav, a “mixed multitude.” It’s time to refute the definition of Jews as a race – which has been used to justify antisemitism, violence, and even genocide – and adopt a definition of covenant as the foundation of Jewish peoplehood, one that embraces Jews of color and celebrates diversity and inclusion. Special discussion to follow. No experience necessary. All are welcome! Register at: huc.edu/HUCConnect and to get the link to the discussion afterwards, be sure to cite Keeping It Sacred as the Synagogue/Organization.

6/8 Chagall and the Bible

Tuesday, June 8 at 3pm PT/ 6pm ET, Enjoy this Guest Lecture by Jean Bloch Rosensaft, Director, Dr. Bernard Heller Museum, HUC-JIR/New York. Marc Chagall was profoundly inspired by the Bible throughout his career, producing biblical works in a broad array of mediums, including paintings, etchings, sculptures, mosaics, tapestries, stained-glass windows, ceramics, and stage set designs. Discover how memories of his youth in Bitebsk, his 1931 visit to Palestine, the Russian Revolution, the Holocaust, his personal religiosity, and his admiration for the old masters informed his imagination to create uniquely modern visual interpretations of the core text of the Jewish people. Special discussion to follow. No experience necessary. All are welcome! Register at: huc.edu/HUCConnect and to get the link to the discussion afterwards, be sure to cite Keeping It Sacred as the Synagogue/Organization.

THANK YOU!

You are a cherished member of this community and we love to hear from you-- what questions do you have? Reach out to rabbimiller@keepingitsacred.com or via phone at 818-312-8388 anytime to let us know what you’re finding meaningful, inspiring and what you’d like to see.

Together, we're #keepingitsacred...

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