Today is Memorial Day in the United States. One of my children insisted that this meant that it was a day to enjoy barbecues (and sales!). But that's not how the day was envisioned three years after the end of the Civil War ended. It was meant to be a day to place flowers on the graves of soldiers. The decorations of the gravesites explain the holiday's earlier name, "Decoration Day.” By the time it was officially adopted nationally in 1890, it had become known as Memorial Day, a day to remember. This day reminds us to remember that the cost of war is measured in human lives, often young people, whose time on earth is cut short.

In Israel, the country remembers the dead on Yom HaZikaron/ Memorial Day, where a siren is sounds for two minutes at 11am local time, and everyone stops to hold silence. Even drivers on the freeway pull over to the side of the road, and stand out of respect. 

Holocaust museums like Yad Vashem and the United States Holocaust Museum have memorial rooms, sacred spaces where candles are lit and remembrances are offered, as well.

But there’s another way to remember the collective loss experienced through war, as a community. This past week, we learned about it from our friends at the Parents’ Circle Families’ Forum. This is the community of Israelis and Palestinians who have suffered the loss of close family members due to the conflict. We heard Robi Damelin and Layla Alshaykh share their work, and the work of the family member of over 700 other individual killed to foster peace and a reconciliation effort. They recently held a Joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony commemorating the grave losses experience and focusing on the way forward. (Watch it HERE) This is one of the ways they help engage a collective process of movement through grief towards a shared future of peace. This is one of the most beautiful ways I have seen communities collectively remembering.

We need memorial days not to valorize war, but to remember the price of conflict. To remember all that has been lost. To remember the words of Jewish musician Debbie Friedman inspired by prophet Zechariah 4:6, “Not by might nor by power but by spirit alone, shall we all live in peace.”

So, today, I invite you to watch the latest video from our Keeping It Sacred program with the Parents’ Circle Families’ Forum cosponsored by Muslims for Progressive Values and Nefesh HERE. And consider the cost of conflict and the hope of a brighter future.

This is how we’re #keepingitsacred...

Together, we’re #keepingitsacred...

Rabbi Heather Miller

Founder, Keeping It Sacred

THE 19TH ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN JOINT MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY RECORDING

Check out the 19th Israeli-Palestinian Joint Memorial Day Ceremony recording HERE from May 12, organized by Combatants for Peace and The Parents Circle Families Forum, the largest Israeli-Palestinian jointly organized peace event in history. The Joint Memorial Ceremony provides a unique opportunity for Israelis and Palestinians to grieve together and stand strong in demanding an end to the occupation and ongoing violence. The ceremony occurs yearly on the eve of Yom Hazikaron (Israeli Memorial Day). In Israeli mainstream culture, the ceremonies that are most often held to honor this day serve to reinforce cultural narratives of pain, victimhood, and hopelessness. The Joint Memorial transforms this narrative by bringing Palestinians to the Memorial alongside Israelis to mourn side by side and model another way forward.

AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE PARENTS CIRCLE MORSE CODE BRACELET

These bracelets were made in partnership with the American Friends of the Parents Circle.  To support this noble cause, they've created a special set of three handmade bracelets, crafted from elegant black and gold Czech beads. Each unisex bracelet spells out a word, and when worn together, they symbolically express your support for the American Friends of the Parents Circle. These bracelets aren't just fashion items; they're a powerful statement of hope and unity.  100% of the profits from these bracelets are donated to the American Friends of the Parents Circle. Purchase the bracelets HERE.

FIREPIT SHABBAT

THIS FRIDAY NIGHT!

Give yourself the gift of space to reflect and rejuvenate in community with monthly Shabbat services. Rabbi Miller and Max Winer will lead the community with Jewish thought and sacred song the last Friday of every month. 

These services take place the LAST Friday night of the month both online and in person (in Sherman Oaks, CA) at 5:30pm PT/8:30pm ET. Please RSVP for both at keepingitsacred.com/upcoming and if you’d like to join in person, please email Rabbi Miller at rabbimiller@keepingitsacred.com for details.

PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDAR:

May’s Shabbat is Fire Pit Shabbat in honor of Lag B’Omer (5/31)

June’s service is Summertime Shabbat (6/28)

KITS CREATIVITY CLUB

Shalom! KITS Creativity Club will meet on Sunday, June 2 at 9 am Pacific, 12 pm Eastern. Sign up here!

We will continue our series on Jewish Artists and how this study can inspire our own artistic endeavors. This time we will study Camille Pissarro (1830-1903), a prominent Impressionist. Looking at his works, (links below), we will experiment with drawing/painting landscapes!

Find links here:

• The Banks of the Oise in Pontoise Painting

• La Maison ruge

• Toits rouges, coin d'un village, hiver, Côte de Saint-Denis
  Bring whatever art supplies you have, and let’s make some art!

NISAN ROSH CHODESH RACIAL JUSTICE BOOK REVIEW

This is our way of beginning each month with a new vision of racial justice. Sivan Rosh Chodesh Racial Justice Book Review: June 6th 9:30am PT/12:30pm ET. Register here! We are reading Grieving While Black by Breeshia Wade. And mark your calendar for upcoming dates:

• Sivan Rosh Chodesh Racial Justice Book Review: June 6, Chapter 7

• Tammuz Rosh Chodesh Racial Justice Book Review: July 5, Chapter 8

• Av Rosh Chodesh Racial Justice Book Review: August 8, a special session on the intersection of antisemitism with racism, links will be provided.

• Elul Rosh Chodesh Racial Justice Book Review: September 5, we begin a new book: We Refuse, by Kellie Carter Jackson

JOIN US AND OUR FRIENDS FOR SHAVUOT

It is Torah O’Clock Somewhere! Join us for the 4th annual Virtual TIkkun Leil Shavuot. God gave us Torah at Mount Sinai, but we also each receive it everyday in each moment that we engage with our tradition. Join our collaboration of small URJ congregations as we offer a night of free study sessions and service options - to mark Shavuot on Tuesday, June 11 - Wednesday, June 12. Come for one session or stay all night (or join in the morning!) enjoying teachings from a wide range of teachers on a variety of topics.

Rabbi Miller will be teaching at 11pm Pacific Tuesday, June 11/2am Eastern Wednesday June 12 on "In the Mix: Great Love Stories in honor of Loving Day"-- Loving Day in the United States; a day to celebrate the legalization of interracial marriage. Shavuot is a day to celebrate the covenantal "marriage" of the mixed multitudes of the Jewish people and God. In honor of both, we will explore some of the great (mixed) love stories in Jewish sacred texts where partners come from very different places to the benefit of the Jewish people.

Registration: https://urj.tfaforms.net/901?id=701UG000007Dqnz

JOSEPH’S INKWELL WRITING CONTEST

Joseph's Inkwell is a Jewish, student-run writing competition. Our mission is to strengthen the Jewish Teen voice and create a space to display philosophical, narrative, personal, informational, academic, or creative works. Submissions are due August 1st, click here for information.

JOIN THE BRAID AND THE LUNAR COLLECTIVE IN:
WHAT DO I DO WITH ALL THIS HERITAGE?

Check out this amazing program from our friends at LUNAR: “We've teamed up with @thebraidstories to create What Do I Do With All This Heritage?, an original theatre show featuring true stories by Asian American Jews. Written by our community and performed by an entirely Asian American cast, this one-of-a-kind show is one you won't want to miss.

The show opens on May 15 and continues through June 9! Whether you're joining us in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, or live on Zoom, there is a show for you. Plus, we're offering special pay-what-you-can tix for LUNAR community members!

Get your tickets at the-braid.org/heritage ✨”

COUNT THE OMER WITH US!

Join our social media platforms: Instagram and Facebook, to follow along with counting the Omer, started Tuesday, April 23rd. The counting of the omer was once a harvest season ritual that was adopted by the Kabbalists who infused a spirituality and intentionality into the practice. Check out our social media daily for seven weeks of seven days of readings, and meditative prompts to spark introspection and spiritual strength. This custom traditionally links the second night of Passover with Shavuot (day 50!). Join us in this spiritual exercise as we climb up from oppression to the celebration of the giving of the Torah.

INTRODUCTION TO JUDAISM

Our Introduction to Judaism® online course gives participants a strong foundation for authentic and empowered engagement in the Jewish community.  This 18-session program is the perfect introduction to Jewish living, theology, texts, history, holidays, and rituals.

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This course is designed for spiritual seekers, interfaith couples, individuals pursuing or considering conversion, and Jews who want a meaningful chance to reconnect with their Judaism as an adult.

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Classes will be held Mondays at 1pm PT/4pm ET from January 22 through June 3, with breaks March 25 (Spring Break) and May 27 (Memorial Day).

The program is led by Rabbi Heather Miller and her teaching style is interactive, and encouraging of questions. She is queer and a member of an interracial, international, interfaith family, and joyfully engages with folks of all backgrounds. Rabbi Heather Miller is known for her open, affirming, and joyful approach.

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Come for the program, stay for the community! Weekly classes are augmented by Shabbat and holiday programs and additional experiential components all found on the calendar (HERE). Our course of 18 classes is $360 for individuals, and $500 for couples. No experience necessary. All are welcome!

View the course outline HERE. Full course materials are provided upon registration.

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REGISTRATION NOW CLOSED and the last class is June 3.

HEALING CIRCLE & TALMUD TEXT STUDY EVERY THURSDAY

JOIN our healing circle holding space for all looking for prayers for healing. This and EVERY THURSDAY -- at 10:30am PT/1:30pm ET.

Immediately following that: at 11am PT/2pm ET, join us as we jump into a conversation with the rabbinic sages of old. We enjoy studying a page of Talmud every day and reviewing together every Thursday, adding our perspectives and the relevance to our own lives as we go along. We enjoy participation from participants across the world who span the spectrum of race, gender, class, age, and connection to Jewish thought.

The rabbis could never have imagined such a wonderful group considering their thoughts!

What people say:

"Yesterday's class was superb!! I remain impressed by so many things that you do! You are able to keep us on track, share (some of) your knowledge with us, make all sorts of connections to the Jewish and secular worlds, and meet each of us where we are! Kudos to you!!"

"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."

To join, please register HERE. Also, DM Rabbi Miller on Facebook HERE to be added to the closed, secret group where we question and discuss. And look for us on Instagram daily HERE.

LET'S CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Join us online at: keepingitsacred.com, Instagram accounts @hearabbi and @keepingitsacred, our Facebook pages HERE and HERE, YouTube Channel HERE and podcasts everywhere. Join us there for updated Talmud posts, Torah commentary, inspirations and invitations to gather online and in person.

Whether you found us through a friend, neighbor, a listserve or browsing the internet, we are glad you're here!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

iCal USER? 

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

EVERY DAY

Please enjoy TWO seasons of our 7-episode web series People Keeping It Sacred and our Jewish Holiday series called "A Bit About..." both available on YouTube HERE and via podcast on your favorite podcast player including: PocketCasts, Breaker, RadioPublic, Apple + Podcasts, Spotify and more 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.

 
5/30 HEALING CIRCLE

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

5/30 PAGE-A-DAY OF TALMUD DAF YOMI GROUP MEET-UP

Thursdays at 11am PT/ 2pm ET/ 4pm Brazil time/ 7pm London time, join us as we review the past week's Talmud readings in sacred international community. No experience necessary, but be ready for some *interesting* discussions. Bring what you know about Torah, but also what you know to be true from your own life. Your insights are appreciated. Register for this program HERE.  

5/31 FIREPIT SHABBAT: SHABBAT SERVICES

Give yourself the gift of space to reflect and rejuvenate in community with monthly shabbat services. Rabbi Miller and Max Winer will lead the community with Jewish thought and sacred song the last Friday of every month. Rabbi Miller is our rabbi! And, Max Winer is a storyteller, song leader, and musician who uses these creative expressions to help create community, facilitate learning, and inspire a love of Judaism. These services take place the LAST Friday night of the month both online and in person (in Sherman Oaks, CA) at 5:30pm PT/8:30pm ET. Register here!

 
6/02 CREATIVITY CLUB

Every other Sunday at 9am PT | noon ET! Enjoy a chance to hang out with other Keeping It Sacred community members, get to know each other better, and create. We will be learning about Jewish artist Camille Pissarro, and, inspired by him, create our own landscapes. Bring whatever media you have or want to use, paints, colored pencils, pastels, crayons, etc. REGISTER HERE.

6/03 INTRODUCTION TO JUDAISM®

This 18-session class is the perfect introduction to Jewish living, theology, texts, history, holidays and rituals on Mondays at 1pm PT | 4pm ET. Come for the class, stay for the community! REGISTER HERE.

6/06 SIVAN ROSH CHODESH RACIAL JUSTICE BOOK REVIEW

This is our way of ending each month with a new vision of racial justice. 9:30am PT/12:30pm ET. Register for this program HERE. 

6/06 HEALING CIRCLE

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

6/06 PAGE-A-DAY OF TALMUD DAF YOMI GROUP MEET-UP

Thursdays at 11am PT/ 2pm ET/ 4pm Brazil time/ 7pm London time, join us as we review the past week's Talmud readings in sacred international community. No experience necessary, but be ready for some *interesting* discussions. Bring what you know about Torah, but also what you know to be true from your own life. Your insights are appreciated. Register for this program HERE.  

6/13 HEALING CIRCLE

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

6/13 PAGE-A-DAY OF TALMUD DAF YOMI GROUP MEET-UP

Thursdays at 11am PT/ 2pm ET/ 4pm Brazil time/ 7pm London time, join us as we review the past week's Talmud readings in sacred international community. No experience necessary, but be ready for some *interesting* discussions. Bring what you know about Torah, but also what you know to be true from your own life. Your insights are appreciated. Register for this program HERE.  

6/16 CREATIVITY CLUB

Every other Sunday at 9am PT | noon ET! Enjoy a chance to hang out with other Keeping It Sacred community members, get to know each other better, and create. Bring your favorite form of creativity to work on, Art, Baking, Craft, Dance, etc.. and share inspiration. Some weeks will include someone teaching how to do a project/technique, other weeks will be purely socializing while we do our own things. REGISTER HERE.

6/20 HEALING CIRCLE

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

6/20 PAGE-A-DAY OF TALMUD DAF YOMI GROUP MEET-UP

Thursdays at 11am PT/ 2pm ET/ 4pm Brazil time/ 7pm London time, join us as we review the past week's Talmud readings in sacred international community. No experience necessary, but be ready for some *interesting* discussions. Bring what you know about Torah, but also what you know to be true from your own life. Your insights are appreciated. Register for this program HERE.  

6/27 HEALING CIRCLE

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

6/27 PAGE-A-DAY OF TALMUD DAF YOMI GROUP MEET-UP

Thursdays at 11am PT/ 2pm ET/ 4pm Brazil time/ 7pm London time, join us as we review the past week's Talmud readings in sacred international community. No experience necessary, but be ready for some *interesting* discussions. Bring what you know about Torah, but also what you know to be true from your own life. Your insights are appreciated. Register for this program HERE.  

6/27 SIYYUM TRACTATE BAVA METZIA

Grab your place at the table as we sit down with the sages of old and wrestle with their thinking, enjoy their stories, and glean their wisdom! Register for this program here!

6/28 SUMMERTIME SHABBAT: SHABBAT SERVICES

Give yourself the gift of space to reflect and rejuvenate in community with monthly shabbat services. Rabbi Miller and Max Winer will lead the community with Jewish thought and sacred song the last Friday of every month. Rabbi Miller is our rabbi! And, Max Winer is a storyteller, song leader, and musician who uses these creative expressions to help create community, facilitate learning, and inspire a love of Judaism. These services take place the LAST Friday night of the month both online and in person (in Sherman Oaks, CA) at 5:30pm PT/8:30pm ET. Register here!

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...

And now on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, RadioPublic, PocketCasts!

We'd love for you to forward this to a friend to invite them to join us, too!