By Ingrid Howard Early in the morning of Oct. 27, Robert Bowers opened fire in a Pittsburgh Jewish synagogue, killing 11 congregants. The massacre is being described as the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the history of the United States. In response to the attack, Birmingham’s Temple Beth-El invited the community to a prayer gathering on Oct. 30. Thousands of … [Read more...]
An Unconventional Rabbi: Interim Rabbi at Temple Beth-El Was Called Back to the Faith
By Sarah Kuper Although he was born into a Jewish background, Barry Leff never had the desire to be a rabbi. “For some, becoming a rabbi is a lifelong dream – but it wasn’t that way for me,” Leff said. In fact, after his bar mitzvah as a young man, Leff said he didn’t enter a temple for more than two decades except for family celebrations. “To me, Judaism was an old man … [Read more...]