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2023: News

December 2023:
WEHO 2023 Those We Lost mentions our founding President John Altshul and our member Esther Baum (WeHo Online Community News / December 28)
2023: The year in review mentions our Rabbi transision (The Beverly Press / December 27)
 
Rabbi Barry Lutz: Interim Leadership Is His Style (Jewish Journal / September 7) 
 
August 2023:
Q & A with Frankie Salzman (August 28, 2023)
West Hollywood community mourns John Altschul (Beverly Press / August 2, 2023)
John Altschul 1936-2023 (WeHoVille / August 1, 2023)
 
July 2023:
 
June 2023:
 
January 2023:
Congregation Kol Ami wins LA Blade's Best House of Worship: Best of LGBTQ LA 2023 (January 18, 2023)
Temple member Elyse Resch whose life long nutrition work was highlighted in the New York Times. "They Rejected Diet Culture 30 Years Ago. Then They Went Mainstream." Listen to the podcast here. (January 18, 2023)
Songwriting duo behind 'Run to You' remember Whitney Houston
 

2022: News

December 2022:
 
September 2022:
 
July 2022:
 
June 2022:
 
 
 
April 2022:
Thirty Years Later: Rising From the Ashes of the 1992 Riots including Rabbi Eger's reflection (Jewish Journal / April 28, 2022)
 
Bring Your Best - Parashat Tetzave (World Union for Progressive Judaism, February 4)
Kol Ami wins Best House of Worship at LA Blade Awards
 
January 2022:
 

2021: News

December 2021
Rabbi Eger is one of Three Trojan Women Who Have Made History in the LA Times (Los Angeles Times, December 5)
Rabbi Eger at World AIDS Day - U.S. HIV/AIDS Faith Coalition campaign (2:19) and live event (42:25)
 
November 2021
 Congregation Kol Ami Marks World AIDS Day (Los Angeles Blade, November 30)
 
October 2021
In the past month Rabbi Eger participated in these community events:
  • Jews for Justice conference-for young Jewish progressive social media influencers (Featured Speaker). Rabbi Eger spoke about being a progressive Zionist and how to work with Progressive organizations. She also did an ask the Rabbi session with her colleague Rabbi David Wolpe
  • The Reform Pension Board quarterly meeting as a Trustee
  • Progressive rabbis conversation with the leaders of AIPAC 
  • Helped to organize and lead the Pre-Shabbat Social Justice program for the California Democratic Party. 
  • Appeared on the radio show Uncommon Democrat discussing the Jewish view of Abortion and reproductive Justice rights.
September 2021
 
July 2021
Rabbi Eger was a guest on Rabbi Micah Streiffer's Seven Minute Torah podcast. Rabbi Eger talked for conversation about torah portion Va'etchanan, the concept of God's oneness, and what that means for our relationships with people.
 
June 2021
Sharon Stone Joins Prominent Activists at Groundbreaking of WeHo AIDS Monument (WeHo Times, June 6) Rabbi Eger is mentioned.
 
 
April 2021
First John A. Altschul Leadership Award presented: New prize named for Kol Ami founding president (WeHoVille, April 28, 2021)
 
Logal LGBT online magazine WeHoville advertises Kol Ami-sponsored talk between West Hollywood and Tel Aviv (April 20, 2021)
 
Rabbi Eger participated in We Are All God’s Children, a webinar-discussion about the LGBTQ+ community with Cerritos College chief of police Don Mueller. Read about the event here (April 13, 2021)
 
 
March 2021
 
Rabbi Eger wrote an article in this new book "Chaver Up!", which reminds us that being an ally is a deeply Jewish value. The 49 diverse Jewish spiritual leaders in the book have written some really wise and moving pieces, grappling with the complexity, messiness, and human fallibility of allyship, as well its beauty, holiness, and power to restore good. Let's all "Chaver Up!"—or "ally up"—together. The book is out now in paperback and as an e-book:  https://bit.ly/chaverup
 
Kol Ami Rabbi Denise Eger Receives Honorary Doctorate from Ben-Gurion University (Jewish Journal/March 19, 2021) - The university announced on March 17 that it will be presenting the degree to Eger because of her work as a Jewish leader, AIDS and LGBTQ activist, author and founding rabbi of the West Hollywood Reform synagogue.
 
 
5 Trojan women who have made history (USC Dornsife/March 5, 2021) - In honor of Women’s History Month, USC Dornsife celebrates alumnae who have made their mark on history, including Rabbi Eger .
 
 
February 2021
 
  • Rabbi Eger has been a guest lecturer at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in the Practical Rabbinics class teaching about Weddings and Funerals and LGBTQ life
  • Rabbi Eger has spoken to the Pittsburgh Jewish Community about LGBTQ inclusion and best practices
  • Rabbi Eger was part of a panel on Women and Entrepreneurship in the Jewish Community for Artist 4 Israel Webathon
  • Rabbi Eger was the featured speaker for the International gathering of the LGBTQ Ambassdors Leadership Program of Israel's Agudah, the 
  • Rabbi Eger participated in the CCAR Past Presidents gathering
  • Rabbi Eger taught a class on Parshat Beshalach for our Congregation Or Chadasch in Vienna, Austria
  • Rabbi Eger co-authored with Rabbi Steinman  the newly published  study and discussion guide for Mishkan Ga'avah: Where Pride Dwells- which is a 4 lesson set aimed at teens and adults on LGBTQ issues and Judaism
  • available free for download at pride.ccarpress.org

2020

September 2020
Rabbi Eger appeared on the podcast LGBTQ STORIES
 
August 2020
Navigating COVID: Our Ancestors Pointed the Way, Rabbi Max Chaiken's interview with the editors of ReformJudaism.org.
 
Seeing Ourselves in Torah, Rabbi Max Chaiken's commentary for Parshat Ki Teitzei.
 
Rabbi Eger appeared on the Podcast: Campfires and Color Wars. ​​​​
 
What the Torah Teaches about the Use (and Abuse) of Political Power, Rabbi Max Chaiken's commentary on Parshat Shof'tim.
 
What Torah Says about Economic Equity, Rabbi Max Chaiken's commentary on Parshat R'eih.
 
 
July 2020
“Revelation is Progressive”: Our Responsibility to Live in Pursuit of Holiness, Rabbi Max Chaiken's Torah commentary for Parshat Eikev.
 
What Torah Requires of Us, Rabbi Max Chaiken's Torah commentary for Parshat Va-et'chanan.

How Moses Found His Voice – and How We Can, Too, Rabbi Max Chaiken's recently published Torah commentary. Over the next couple of months, Rabbi Chaiken will be a featured commentator for Deuteronomy on ReformJudaism.org.
 
June 2020
 
April 2020
Rabbi Eger’s book, Mishkan Ga’avah: Where Pride Dwells, a celebration of LGBTQ Jewish Life and Ritual was published by the Central Conference of American Rabbis. It is available for purchase here.
Rabbi Eger was quoted in an article in the Beverly Press about celebrating Passover during shelter in place.
 
 
December 2019
 
November 2019
Israel is the Only LGTBQ Safe Haven in the Middle East, Rabbi Eger's column in the Jewish Journal,  November 13, 2019
 
October 2019
Rabbi Eger's Book was published, Gender and Religious Leadership
 
September 2019
 
August 2019
 
July 2019
 
June 2019
 
May 2019
Garcetti Vistis Israel, Kol Ami Turns 27, Jewish Journal, May 22, 2019
 
April 2019
February 2019
Rabbi Chaiken named as a InterfaithFamily Rukin Rabbinic Fellow 
 
January 2019
The Freedom of Being Bound to One Another in Covenant, Davar Acher for Ten Minutes of Torah, ReformJudaism.org, January 15, 2019
 
December 2018
The Gay Synagogue I Didn't Know I NeededReformJudaism.org December 5, 2018
 
November 2018
WeHo Shabbat Honors the Transgender Community The Pride LA November 18, 2018
 
October 2018
Congregation Kol Ami Prays for Pittsburgh Los Angeles Blade October 31, 2018
A Time for Healing, Prayer and Remembrance Los Angeles Blade October 30, 2018
 
June 2018
 
April 2018
 
November 2017
 
Table for Five: Five Takes on the Weekly Parsha Jewish Journal November 16, 2017
 
 
 
October 2017
 
 
 
 
 
May 2017
 
June 2016
 
Alumna Rabbi Denise L. Eger is a voice of the people dornsife.usc.edu June 29th, 2016/ Michelle Boston
 
 
 
After Orlando, Heartbroken, but with resolve jewishjournal.com June 15th, 2016
 
 
May 2016
 
 
April 2016
 
 
February 2016
 
American Jews helped create prayer space equality at Kotel jewishjournal.com February 11th, 2016
 
December 2015
 
How 'Transparent' is Reshaping Image of Transgender Jews (featuring quotes from Rabbi Denise Eger) forward.com
 
July 2015
 
 
June 2015
 
CCAR Condemns Attack on South Carolina Church ccarnet.org, June 18th, 2015
April 2015
 
Rabbi Eger is a featured speaker in the Plenary Session LGBT Equality Discussion at the Consultation on Conscience, Washington D.C. April 26 - 28, 2015
 
 
March 2015
 
"Rabbi Denise Eger seeks to open doors wider to all Jews" Jewish Journal, March 3rd, 2014/ Tess Cutler
 
 
 
 
 
"Lesbian Rabbi Is to Become President of Reform Group" New York Times, March 15th, 2015/ Rachel Zoll for the Associated Press
 
 
"U.S. Reform Jewish group welcomes first openly lesbian president" National Monitor, March 15th, 2015/ Katharine Gripp
 
 
"US Reform Judaism appoints first gay woman as top rabbi" GayStarNews.com, March 16th, 2015/ Andrew Potts
 
"US Reform Jewish rabbis appoint lesbian president" PinkNews.co.uk, March 16th, 2015/ Nick Duffy
 
 
"Op-ed: Religions Must Open Their Doors to LGBT Members" TheAdvocate.com, March 17th, 2015/ Rabbi Denise L. Eger
 
February 2015
 
"First a Deadly Car Crash, Now a Bright New Facade for Congregation Kol Ami", WEHOVille.com, February 13th, 2015/ Henry (Hank) Scott
January 2015
 
"Rosner’s Torah-Talk: Parashat Vayechi with Rabbi Denise Eger", Jewish Journal, January 2nd, 2015/ Shmuel Rosner
 
December 2014
 
"What does Judaism Say About LGBT People?", Advocate.com, December 3rd, 2014/ Rabbi Denise Eger
 
November 2014
 
 
August 2014
 
 
July 2014
 
 
April 2014
 
Biden's LGBTQ Message carries Jewish echoes, Jewish Journal, April 2nd, 2014/ Rabbi Denise L. Eger 
 
March 2014
 
What Fred Phelps Didn't Learn From Sodom and Gomorrah, Huffington Post, March, 21st, 2014/ Rabbi Denise L. Eger
 
Fall 2013
 
Why L.A.? Why Women? And Why Now? Lilith.org, Fall 2013/ Liz Safirstein Leshin
 
September 20, 2013
 
It Happened Again (and Again), Huffington Post, November 20th, 2013/ Rabbi Denise L. Eger
 
June 2013
 
4 Influential WeHo’ans in the Fight Against Prop 8, WehoVille, June 26th, 2013/ Dan Watson
Mon, March 18 2024 8 Adar II 5784