You've Always Belonged Here: The Temple Israel Podcast

July 10, 2026 | The Sacred Courage to Ask for What We Need

This week, Cantor Julia Cadrain helps us explore how rest, healthy boundaries, and self-advocacy are not acts of selfishness but sacred practices that renew us and strengthen our ability to care for others. To learn more about Temple Israel, please click the links below. Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@templeisraelwestport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [instagram.com/templeisraelwestport] Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Temple Israel of Westport, CT⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/templeisraelofwestport/] Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Temple Israel Westport⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@TempleIsraelWestport] Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tiwestport.org⁠ [tiwestport.org]

July 3, 2026 | This Land was Made for You AND Me

This week, Rabbi Plesent remarked about the United States of America's semiquincentennial and how respectful disagreement can strengthen both our communities and our democracy. To learn more about Temple Israel, please click the links below. Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@templeisraelwestport⁠⁠⁠⁠ [instagram.com/templeisraelwestport] Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Temple Israel of Westport, CT⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/templeisraelofwestport/] Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Temple Israel Westport⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@TempleIsraelWestport] Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠tiwestport.org⁠ [tiwestport.org]

June 26, 2026 | You Are Holy Just As You Are

For this week's podcast, Cantor Becky Mann taught us during our Pride Shabbat on the Beach that we are all created b'tzelem elohim – in the image of God. To learn more about Temple Israel, please click the links below. Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@templeisraelwestport⁠⁠⁠⁠ [instagram.com/templeisraelwestport] Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Temple Israel of Westport, CT⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/templeisraelofwestport/] Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Temple Israel Westport⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@TempleIsraelWestport] Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠tiwestport.org⁠ [tiwestport.org]

June 19, 2026 | From Egypt to Galveston: A Shared Journey of Liberation

Drawing on the shared history of enslavement and the imperative to remember the past, Rabbi Elana Nemitoff-Bresler reflects on the deep parallels between Passover and Juneteenth, calling for solidarity between the Jewish and Black communities to fight systemic racism and work together toward tikkun olam. To learn more about Temple Israel, please click the links below. Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@templeisraelwestport⁠⁠⁠ [instagram.com/templeisraelwestport] Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Temple Israel of Westport, CT⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/templeisraelofwestport/] Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠Temple Israel Westport⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@TempleIsraelWestport] Website: ⁠⁠⁠tiwestport.org⁠ [tiwestport.org]

June 5, 2026 | A Sanctuary Without Walls

This week, Rabbi Friedman reflected on the sale of his childhood synagogue and how encounters with God have traditionally taken place in nature and invites us to experience the divine through wonder, awe, and the quiet presence found beneath the open sky. To learn more about Temple Israel, please click the links below. Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@templeisraelwestport⁠⁠⁠ [instagram.com/templeisraelwestport] Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Temple Israel of Westport, CT⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/templeisraelofwestport/] Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠Temple Israel Westport⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@TempleIsraelWestport] Website: ⁠⁠⁠tiwestport.org⁠ [tiwestport.org]