PAST ARTICLES AND SERMONS FROM RABBI BAIR
Rabbi Ethan Bair
JULY 2013 TO JUNE 2018
Email: RabbiBair@tbsmb.org
Rabbi Ethan Bair grew up in Boston where he was raised by spiritual seekers who rediscovered their Judaism through the Jewish Renewal movement. A graduate of Oberlin College and a former Fulbright scholar to Germany, Rabbi Bair was ordained at the Reform seminary, Hebrew Union College, Los Angeles, in 2011. He wrote his Rabbinic thesis on “Re-Envisioning Reform Jewish Prayer,” with Dr. Rachel Adler. While in rabbinical school, he was a recipient of the prestigious Schusterman Rabbinical Fellowship, which brought together future Reform and Conservative rabbis to learn about volunteer engagement, strategic planning and synagogue management. Stemming from this experience, Rabbi Bair would describe himself as a member of a new generation of Jewish leaders for whom denominations are secondary to transformational Jewish experience. For more than 11 years he has served congregations in Ogden, Utah; Vancouver, British Columbia; Sun Valley, Idaho; and San Rafael, CA. Most recently, he worked at American Jewish World Service, a global Jewish non-profit working to realize human rights in the developing world. Before that, he served as Campus Rabbi at the University of Southern California Hillel.
Rabbi Bair served Temple Sinai as our Senior Rabbi for five years before moving on to an an Assistant Rabbi position at Temple Beth Shalom in Miami Beach, FL. Rabbi Bair is committed to creating a participatory and authentic Jewish prayer culture; promoting inter-faith social justice work; and integrating Jewish studies with traditional Jewish sources into his repertoire of teaching. He enjoys running, hiking, singing, and welcoming Shabbat guests into his home with his wife, Nadya who has a PhD in Art History.
L’Shanah Tova!
Thank you to everyone who prayed with us on Rosh HaShanah, and we hope to see all of you on our upcoming Yom Kippur services. At the head of the new year, 5776, we wish to express our gratitude to each of you for your active and ongoing involvement and investment in your Jewish spiritual […]
Annual Meeting
The Congregational Meeting was held this past weekend and I would like to thank all of the Board Members and Members of the Congregation who participated. Our new Board of Trustees was voted on and the slate approved; a number of changes that have been in the pipeline for years were made to the By-Laws […]
Grammar School, Graduates, Grandparents
I was driving through the Shenandoah Valley admiring the beauty of the landscape, heading to a college graduation, and thinking about changes in one’s life. Several of my closest friends are heading to similar ceremonies this weekend and next. My closest friends are those I met at Temple Sinai when we all brought a child […]
Pesach VII 4/10/2015
Standing Up for Gun Sense Our politics in our State have turned recently from one of civil discourse to one of divisive exploitation of power. I believe very strongly in the promise and effectiveness of democracy. And nowadays it seems that our parties have become so oppositional, collaboration and true bipartisanship seem like a pipe […]