Kol HaKavod: Honoring Our Rabbis
We invite you to join us in Kol Hakavod—“all the honor”—a congregational gift to honor Rabbi David Stern and Rabbi Debra Robbins for their extraordinary leadership.
At the request of Rabbi Stern and Rabbi Robbins, Temple Emanu-El is partnering with the Central Conference of American Rabbis to support the creation of a new Reform Torah Commentary. Upon completion, one of the five books of the Torah will be dedicated in honor of our rabbis and our congregation—a fitting tribute to all they have given to our families, our Temple and the entire Reform movement.
This new commentary promises to transform how we engage with Torah across generations. As Dr. Elsie Stern, the general editor of the commentary and Rabbi Stern’s sister, shared during her recent visit to Temple: “The Torah has stayed the same, but everything else has changed… what a new commentary is designed to do is help us engage with it in ways that reflect who we are, the world we live in, and what we’re hoping is going to happen when we read Torah.” Her words remind us that this effort is not only about scholarship, but about shaping the future of Jewish learning and connection.
We are pleased to offer a taste of the new commentary in this short film, which explains why it will be so impactful for Temple learning and prayer.
We hope you will participate by making a gift of any amount. All donors will be recognized in alphabetical order on thank-you cards to be presented to Rabbi Stern and Rabbi Robbins.