Rabbi Emeritus
Rabbi Elias J. Lieberman was born in Baltimore, MD, in 1953. He attended Vassar College, where he earned his A.B. degree in Drama, cum laude, in 1975.
Rabbi Lieberman was ordained in 1984 from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. From 1984 to 1990 he served as Assistant, and then Associate, Rabbi of Temple Oheb Shalom in Baltimore, Maryland. In July, 1990 he accepted the call to serve the Falmouth Jewish Congregation.
Rabbi Lieberman has been actively involved in many social justice concerns during his rabbinate including freedom for Soviet Jewry, equal rights for gay, lesbian and transgender people, and furthering understanding between the Jewish and African-American communities. He is active in the effort to combat HIV/AIDS and is an eager participant in a variety of interfaith efforts. In December, 2005 he was appointed as an inaugural member of the Barnstable County Human Rights Commission.
Rabbi Lieberman has written:
“Judaism cannot be lived in isolation … to be a Jew is to be part of a community. Those Jews who actively affiliate with a synagogue are already making a significant statement about the importance, in their hearts and minds, of Jewish survival. Mine is the privilege, as rabbi, to encourage and counsel, to inspire, and be inspired by those whose lives intersect my own.”
“It is my fervent desire to see the Falmouth Jewish Congregation become a place where Judaism is enshrined as a vibrant force in our collective lives–a congregation eager to mine the riches of our tradition for inspiration; to fashion innovative interpretations of time-honored rituals to carry us into the future; to build bridges across chasms of alienation and despair; to create a legacy for our children which will nourish their aspirations; to try to find meaning in a world long on material comforts but short on the stuff of the spirit.”
To reach Rabbi Lieberman by e-mail: rebelias@comcast.net
RABBI'S THOUGHTS
Reflections on the Israel – Gaza War
The Israel - Gaza War The murderous terror attacks on Israel took place on October 7 when we, as a community, were celebrating Simchat Torah. As the news came pouring in we were stunned, horrified and made heartsick. In anticipation of our tenth-of-the-month-prior-to-publication-deadline, I wrote a draft of a Newsletter column on October 8th reflecting on my experience in [...]
Reflections on PRIDE Month 2023
I am writing this column in early June, at the beginning of LGBTQ PRIDE Month. As many of you know, over the course of my rabbinic career I have been committed to supporting the rights of the LGBTQ community here on Cape Cod and beyond and working for the full inclusion of LGBTQ individuals across the spectrum of Jewish [...]
Responding to antisemitism
Responding to antisemitism On a daily basis, I receive an e-mail message from the Secure Community Network (SCN), the official safety and security organization of the Jewish community in North America. SCN has provided invaluable training and information to Jewish communities like ours, helping to identity potential dangers, and coordinating with local and national law enforcement agencies to track [...]
A rivulet, a stream, a river…a deluge.
A rivulet, a stream, a river...a deluge Advice from a Raindrop Kim Stafford You think you’re too small to make a difference? Tell me about it. You think you’re helpless, at the mercy of forces beyond your control? Been there. Think you’re doomed to disappear, just one small voice among millions? That’s no weakness, trust me. That’s your wild [...]
Spiritual Drought
Spiritual Drought As I write these words, I look out my window at a much longed-for rainy day. Cape Cod has been experiencing a hot, dry summer and because all of the Cape draws upon a single-source aquifer. in times of near-drought water restrictions are imposed on an ever-increasing basis. Because the Cape’s population triples in the summer, demand [...]
4th of July
4th of July [Please note: this column was written and published in our print version of our Newsletter, before the murderous shootings that took place in Highland Park, IL on July 4, 2022. The need has never felt greater to find "the gate that swings open to the joy that is."] Right down the middle of main street the [...]
Thoughts on Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance & Inclusion Month
[February, when I wrote this column, is Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month (JDAIM), a time educate ourselves and others. For 13 years now, Jewish communities have united to support efforts to promote inclusion and acceptance. Learn more and find resources at: https://inclusioninnovations.com/jdaim/] One Shabbat morning, seventeen years ago, I had a remarkable experience when I came off [...]
Is it time to recite Kaddish?
Is it time to recite Kaddish? The prayer known as Kaddish has several forms, but the one most familiar to Jews is referred to as the Mourner’s Kaddish, recited when a loved one dies and, subsequently, on the yahrzeit–the anniversary–of that loved one’s death. The prayer itself makes no mention of death, loss or mourning. It is, in fact, [...]
Lessons (to date) From the Pandemic
Lessons (to date) From the Pandemic 1) Joy delayed is not joy diminished. As I write these words in early October, we are two-fifths of the way through this year’s b’nei mitzvah “season”, five consecutive Shabbat mornings when we celebrate a young person’s coming-of-age and their being called to read from the Torah. All five families had to shift [...]
The Story of the East End Meeting House
The Story of the East End Meeting House June, 2021 In November, 2020 Rabbi Lieberman took part in a history project organized by Falmouth Public Library in which local “historians” were asked to speak about specific postcards and images in the library’s “Falmouth Postcards” collection. In his segment, Rabbi Lieberman spoke about the history of our congregation’s East End [...]