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
The arrival of flannel-shirt weather….
OCTOBER Helen Hunt Jackson Bending above the spicy woods which blaze, Arch skies so blue they flash, and hold the sun Immeasurably far; the waters run Too slow, so freighted are the river-ways With gold of elms and birches from the maze Of forests. Chestnuts, clicking one by one, Escape from satin burs; her fringes done, The gentian spreads [...]
Like summer lightning…
Several years ago I wrote a song whose chorus runs like this: Like summer lightning Beyond the horizon You know the storm is coming You just don’t know when..... That’s the way I’m feeling at this moment....unsettled, expectant, fearful of a storm of hitherto unknown proportions which may break over our heads on the night of Tuesday, November 8th, [...]
At summer’s end…
I don’t think that I will ever fully leave behind memories of my childhood summers in Baltimore which were characterized, primarily, by swampy, relentless humidity. Hence the appeal of a poem about an icehouse and, hence, my deep appreciation for New England’s clement climate! Wishing you a pleasant end of summer.... THE ICEHOUSE IN SUMMER Howard Nemerov A door [...]
“What do WE stand for?”
As I sat down to write this column, word of the horrific terrorist act in Orlando was spilling across the news. We’ve been told that it was a record-setting act of gun violence in our nation and we are left reeling, angered, frustrated and –perhaps– frightened. It is all too easy for us to imagine one of our own [...]
“One who saves a single life…..”
On the day I sat down to write this message (5/5/16), the Cape Cod Times reported (in an article written by K.C. Meyers) this grim statistic: In 2015 Cape Cod had the highest rate of deaths from opioid overdoses per capita in the state...Generally, the region has been harder hit by the opioid crisis than other areas of the [...]
In my role as rabbi, I get to wear many hats (or kippot, if you will!) I am, among other things, a teacher, counselor, worship leader, adviser, and representative to the larger community. But did you know that I am also a plumbing fixture?! One of my most cherished roles is that of “spigot”. It falls to me to [...]
A Liberating Passover
Once upon a time in a far away land there lived a king who had a Jewish advisor. The king relied so much on the wisdom of his Jewish advisor that one day he decided to elevate him to head advisor. After it was announced, the other advisors objected. After all, it was bad enough just to sit in [...]
Between the Wall and a Hard Place
“fetish” ('fediSH/) noun - “an inanimate object worshiped for its supposed magical powers or because it is considered to be inhabited by a spirit.” Has the Western Wall (Hebrew: Ha-Kotel) in Jerusalem become a fetish? I wonder... I remember well my first encounter with the Kotel. It was 1969, just two years after the reunification of Jerusalem, and the [...]
“Let’s All Pull Together”
I write these words in early January, as we approach the commemoration of the birth of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On January 18 the Falmouth community will gather for its annual King Breakfast, sponsored by No Place For Hate (Falmouth), and to engage in a Day of Service to honor Dr. King’s legacy. Some have noted, [...]
Immigrants
I’ve had a song running around in my head for days now. It’s called “City of Immigrants” and it’s written and sung by the talented Steve Earle, a songwriter, musician, recovering heroin addict, record producer, activist and actor (Treme, The Wire). Here is the song’s first verse and chorus: Livin' in a city of immigrants I don't need to [...]