Leadership

How can Chanukah help us find Hope and Unity? How can we deal with the Emotional Impact of conflict and war? A message from the President.

As the echoes of the High Holidays begin to fade, it’s essential to find ways to maintain this sense of spiritual connection and community that was vibrant during this special time. The journey of faith and community does not end with Yom Kippur; it continues, and it’s up to all of us to keep the … Read more

As I sit down to write a column for the September issue of the Voice, I am thinking ahead to Rosh Hashanah and what it means. Rosh Hashanah, as we all know, is the Jewish New Year, the beginning of the month of Tishrei. On this holiday we imagine Hashem is reviewing the behavior of … Read more

As we look forward to warm summer days, I’m reminded that our biggest fundraiser of the year has just kicked off. That is the Cadillac of Raffles. I strongly encourage everyone to purchase a minimum of one ticket. If a ticket has not been sent to you, don’t worry, you can still get in on … Read more

Most of you have now heard that Cantor Fair will no longer be serving Ahavas Israel, and we just wanted to share a few thoughts on his departure. Our original contract with Temple Emanuel to provide cantorial services gave us Cantor Fair for four hours a week of his time. This equated to about two … Read more

In March, the Jewish Community Legacy Project had its first meeting for presidents of small congregations, which are defined as those made up of 130 or fewer member units. We met on Zoom for a discussion on the various challenges facing congregations.  The topic of Engagement was discussed, which seems to be a very common … Read more

My family moved to Grand Rapids in 1973 when my husband accepted a position as a pathologist at St. Mary’s Hospital, and we became members of Ahavas Israel. I have been a member of the Wednesday morning minyan for over forty years and a regular at Shabbat services. I’ve been active at Ahavas Israel in … Read more