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
Supporting the Falmouth Service Center
A new year frequently brings change, sometimes welcome, sometimes less so. As the new Jewish year 5,778 approaches we have learned of a change that will impact an institution near and dear to the hearts of our congregation and to thousands of people on the Upper Cape and beyond...the Falmouth Service Center. Some background: the Falmouth Service Center’s mission [...]
Boomer Shabbat (and the Prayer of Exuberance!)
Jewish tradition identifies three basic categories of prayer: petitionary, thanksgiving and awe. (Someone suggested that these three categories might be better identified as “Gimme, Thanks & Wow!”) I’d like to suggest a fourth prayer category, one that I call “Exuberance”. For me, prayers of exuberance are always wrapped up with music and singing. While the language of our liturgy [...]
A day filled with k’dusha!
On Saturday, June 24, I will have the opportunity to experience four sacred experiences, three of which you, too, can experience! It will begin with Torah Study, from 8:30-9:30 AM. If you’ve never experienced Torah Study at FJC, it is a wonderful amalgamation of text study, wonderful digressions, spirited exchange of opinions, and laughter...lots of laughter! Join us! At [...]
The Roots of Hope
I conducted an interesting experiment as a prelude to writing these words. I entered into Google’s search engine the phrase “antidote to despair”. I found the results intriguing. Among the suggested antidotes to despair were the following: “action”, “collaboration”, “solidarity”. Many of us awaken each morning, sometimes from troubled sleep, with the taste of despair in our mouths. Between the [...]
A message inspired by Mark Twain
In May 1897, the great American humorist, novelist and social critic Samuel Clemens — best known by his pen name, Mark Twain — was in London. It was one of the stops on a round-the-world speaking tour he’d embarked on in 1895. He hoped to use the fees from speaking engagements to pay off the considerable debts he owed [...]
Purim: An All-Too Believable Story For our Time
Preparing to write this column for the month in which we celebrate the holiday of Purim, I engaged in a fascinating and painful Google search. I entered “Purim + Trump” in the search box and was quickly led to dozens of articles scattered across the Internet, virtually all of which were from the spring of 2016, pre-dating Donald Trump’s [...]
Two powerful images…
Since 2009, North American Jewish Communities have been celebrating Jewish Disability Awareness Month in February. Now known as Jewish Disability and Inclusion Month (JDAIM), it is an opportunity to celebrate our commitment to removing barriers, celebrating diversity and connecting with our Jewish values, the most fundamental of which speaks of our obligation to recognize, in every human being, the [...]
To the New Year
To the New Year W. S. Merwin With what stillness at last you appear in the valley your first sunlight reaching down to touch the tips of a few high leaves that do not stir as though they had not noticed and did not know you at all then the voice of a dove calls from far away in [...]
The Morning After
November 9, 2016.......The Morning After I am not a believer in serendipity. Nonetheless, I am always pleased when it shows up. I went to sleep late on the night of Tuesday, November 8th already understanding that Donald Trump was headed to victory. Awakening early on Wednesday morning, I made a cursory examination of online sources to confirm my fears, [...]
Why I support Ballot Question #4 – Legalizing Recreational Marijuana
In one of my High Holy Day sermons this year, I explained my support for Massachusetts Ballot Question #3, which would prohibit certain methods of farm animal containment, a measure fully in consonance with Judaism’s command that we not inflict unnecessary suffering on animals. In that same sermon I made passing reference to my support for Ballot Question #4, [...]