Hear Our Voice

In the heady (or hazy) days of CSK’s beginnings, somebody said, “Look, Houston doesn’t need another regular Jewish congregation. What would make us different?”

Unlike clubs, or consumer memberships, or organizations, with special-access premiums, Congregation Shma Koleinu’s essence is indeed summed up with, “Join us, you already belong.”

A bit more than 11 years into our story, CSK continues to rewrite what...Read more...

Of all the statistics that describe CSK’s success, my absolutely most favorite one is that, as of November 2024, CSK has celebrated 73 B’nai Mitzvah in 35 different locations! As we say, “Have Torah, Silver, Ark, Table, Sound System, Prayerbooks…Will Travel.

With Thanksgiving on the horizon, this note is my expression of ebullient joy over the bounty of happiness and learning and growth and the fulfillment of...Read more...

Dear Friend,
You invited me to have a chat, as you didn't much love my Yom Kippur sermon. Our talk was amenable, it was peaceful, and as I have always known you to be, it was authentic. I know that you are an avowed Marxist, as you affirmed yesterday, insisting that
everything ultimately comes down to, “follow the money.” You echoed the belief that were it not for oil, no one would really give a wit about the Middle East. I...Read more...

To listen to Rabbi Scott's blog, click HERE.

The other day in Jerusalem, I saw a bumper sticker that read, “Our story will have a
good ending.” Those words were spoken by Sarit Zussman at the funeral of her son,
Ben, a soldier who fell in Gaza. Once, that sentiment would have seemed self-evident to
Israelis. Now it has the poignancy of a prayer.

This is how Yossi Klein Halevy concluded his most recent...Read more...

Hey CSK, what are you waiting for?

This coming October 2nd marks CSK’s 11 th High Holy Days season. Our first year was at the Power Center, the next 9 years were at Emery Weiner.

This year, CSK’s renowned High Holy Days experience will take place in the Kaplan Theater at the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center.

I know that perhaps you and others have mostly traded out the “pew” for your couch, perhaps...Read more...

Dear Friends, this is a longer one than usual.  It’s a text study that I would encourage to read at a leisurely pace, maybe even with others.  Enjoy! 

I was honored to be invited to deliver the D’var Torah to the Alexander Jewish family services board meeting yesterday.  For those who don’t know, JFS is a crucial organization of most medium and large size Jewish communities. From their...Read more...

Every year, just before the school year begins, I have a familiar pang in my stomach. The transition from summer to fall always comes with a bit of melancholy for me. Some of it is leaving my parents’ home on Cape Cod to come back to the heat of Houston, but some of it is simply the years of feeling the anxiety of transitions that come at this time of year.  Yesterday I spoke to our new faculty and...Read more...

A man walked to the top of a hill to talk to God.

The man asked, "God, what's a million years to you?"

And God said, "A minute."

Then the man asked:

"Well, what's a million dollars to you?"

And God said: "A penny"

Then the man asked:

"God.....can I have a penny?"

And God said:

Read more...

Dear CSK,

For all intense and purposes, summer is upon us. I know that all schools aren’t quite out yet, but they will be in a matter of days. But I’ve decided to assign myself and you some summer school homework. For many years, I have been writing these blog articles, mostly as a unidirectional offering. Perhaps you read them, perhaps you “save them for later.” Today, I’m inviting you to join me in a...Read more...

As a kid growing up in Massachusetts, Passover always fell just as the world was coming back to life. The air smelled cleaner, and the sky was bluer and, because my mother had a knack for making things beautiful, the yard was filled with daffodils and crocus that she planted in the fall. And the Seder table was just as lovely - set with beautiful china, silver, and flowers. While it might seem superfluous, Jewish tradition actually...Read more...