My heart, like millions of others, has been aching over the vicious murders of 3 Israeli teens. Quite frankly, I have been so upset over this tragedy, I haven’t been able to find the right words to post. It is so painful to think about 3 promising young lives cut short needlessly. How much did they suffer? Were they terribly afraid? Why did another senseless tragedy have to occur? It is devastating!

I had no answers, but I did have many tears. I wasn’t sure when/if I could find anything hopeful to say in the midst of such agony. This morning, that all changed. I checked my Twitter, and had a new connection, @ElevateOurBoys. If you’re not following them already, do so now! They are proposing that everyone commit to doing Mitzvah (good deeds) in honor of the 3 murdered teens and their ever-lasting memories. A Jewish lady, Miriam Cohen, participated in the most wonderful way by naming her triplets Eyal Yosef, Gilad Menachem, and Naftali Chaim!

How amazing is that? I can think of no greater tribute to the teens, their families, friends, and strangers all over the world who care about this case than to name 3 new souls after the 3 souls taken from us so brutally. Mazel Tov, Miriam!

Even in the greatest pain, there can be hope. The living must continue even when we feel like giving up. We must live to right the wrong, to seek justice, to find a way to bring peace.

Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel, and Eyal Yifrach, you will never be forgotten. Your young lives were not in vain. You brought joy to many, and will continue to do so forever in their memories.

Please join me in prayer, and a commitment to elevate these teens and all the good they stood for. Terrorists can never win when decent people are united in righteousness.

Will you be celebrating Shavuot tomorrow night? Have you ever celebrated Shavuot?

If Purim is woefully neglected in the Reform Jewish world, Shavuot is doubly so! I once attended a Shavuot service at my old temple that had a grand total of 7 people present, including me and the Rabbi!

Folks, that is simply pitiful! We need to embrace our holidays, particularly those who have children. I think many don’t because of the boredom/irrelevancy factor. We need to make a special effort so holidays are fun and enjoyable, otherwise this wonderful Jewish culture will simply die out.

Shavuot is actually a very cool holiday. It was originally a harvest festival, but now it commemorates the giving of the Torah by God to the Jewish People. The dietary (Kosher) laws are part of the Torah and that’s why dairy foods are traditionally served on Shavuot.

Shavuot can be celebrated in many ways, but the one I like best is the ice cream social. This trend has been growing for a while now, but it seems to be much more popular in the Orthodox community. Chabad hosts wonderful Shavuot events, usually ice cream related, but sometimes featuring cheesecakes. This is something the rest of us can easily adopt, observant or not.

An ice cream social works wonderfully for the hesitant hostess since there’s no cooking involved. It’s a nice way for the Unaffiliated to get involved in a Jewish Holiday without it being about “religion.” Also, it’s perfect for Righteous Gentile friends to take part in, too. Everyone loves ice cream…

All you need are a variety of ice cream and toppings. Pick up some paper bowls if you don’t want to wash dishes, or serve the ice cream in cones. With the abundance of allergies today, be careful if serving nuts. I also recommend having at least one dairy-free item so nobody feels left out. Soy Delicious makes a decent ice cream substitute or try some Tofutti ice cream sandwiches.

Don’t feel like you have to duplicate an ice cream parlor. That’s a lot of expense and tends to be wasted anyway. Usually, I just buy vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream, caramel, and chocolate jimmies. (Here in New England, we call them jimmies, other areas call them sprinkles.)

As always, I buy on sale and use coupons whenever possible. It helps to stock up well in advance, but if you haven’t, these items are cheap enough to be purchased at full price for tomorrow. The entire party can be done successfully for less than $20.00. I think 3,000 years of Jewish history is certainly worth that, don’t you…

Have you ever attend a Shavuot celebration?

If you haven’t seen the amazing documentary, Skokie: Invaded But Not Conquered, do so NOW! This film chronicles the mind-boggling attempt by American Neo-Nazis to march through Skokie, Illinois in the 1970’s.

At that time, Skokie was home to the largest number of Holocaust survivors anywhere in the country. These courageous souls, who had suffered so much in foreign lands, were at risk of being terrorized again…in America!

What kind of monster could dream up such a gruesome concept? Enter Frank Collin, self-appointed head of the National Socialist Party of America. Not only was he a vicious bigot and child molester, Collin was also a self-hating, closeted Jew! (Unreal, I know.) Rather than working for the good of humanity, rather than help survivors of death camps—including his own father, Max Cohn, who’d been in Dachau—this madman devoted himself to becoming like his idol, Hitler.

To be so sick, on so many levels, is simply beyond understanding. It’s frightening how hate can twist the mind. Surely, all decent people know that we can’t give voice to this sort of hate speech, right? Wrong…

When the story seemed unable to get any weirder, the ACLU entered the fray, claiming that Nazis should be able to march, based on First Amendment grounds. For many years, the case dragged on through multiple courts, with Attorney David Goldberger leading the charge. Oh, did I mention Goldberger is also Jewish?!

It’s hard to say who was worse. Collin was obviously mentally ill, but Goldberger wasn’t. I think he was utterly confused and misguided about what Free Speech means. It’s not absolute. You can’t shout fire in a crowd, threaten the President, or incite racial hatred, Period.

When all was said and done, the Nazis were never allowed to march in Skokie—rightfully so. Unfortunately, they were granted a permit in Chicago. I don’t think these criminals should be allowed to demonstrate anywhere. Their message is destructive, particularly to those on the margins of society who are highly susceptible and to children, who are far too young and impressionable to know any better.

Society must include a place for all law-abiding people. Nobody should be terrorized by cowards who cloak themselves in phony righteousness. We need to teach tolerance, peace, and friendship. Most of all, we need to fight hate, in all its ghastly forms, wherever it appears, so when we assert Never Again, we truly mean it this time.

I am praying for the Kansas Jewish Community who are in the midst of a horrible tragedy. 3 of its members—2 men and 1 lady—were murdered. Others were injured. It is truly a nightmare!

I am shocked, saddened, and in tears. This reminds me of a similar event that happened years ago to the Los Angeles Jewish community. These Anti-Semitic nuts who worship Hitler are not only against Jews, they are against America. Many Righteous Gentiles died fighting in WWII.

No rational people would ever want to associate themselves with Hitler in any shape or form.

All of the facts aren’t in yet and I don’t want to jump to any conclusions, but this appears to be a hate crime perpetrated by a lone gunman. I don’t know him but I do know one thing for sure: He is a coward!

Only a coward would shoot at innocent families whose only “offense” was to enjoy a talent show at the JCC. Only a coward would shoot at elderly residents of a Jewish Assisted Living facility.

I am heartbroken that those victims were taken far too soon, only a day before they would’ve enjoyed a Passover Seder. It is so unbearably unjust…

Please join me in praying for the families affected. We want them to know that a few bad people will never outnumber all of the good. Jewish Kansans, we love you, we support you, and we’re here for you during this difficult time.