On December 11th, Sim Shalom Rabbi Steven Blane, will release his Nashville recorded album “I Confess.” The original lyrics reflect Blane’s musings on relationships, love and fantasy. Blane explores the struggle between faith and doubt. The music lands solidly in the Americana/Folk/Rock genres, with songwriting and production kudos to such artists as Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, and Willie Nelson. Blane summons the same soulful spirituality he brings to the pulpit. In another twist of unorthodoxy, the album was produced by famed Christian, Country, and Rock Continue reading →

On Friday, November 4, affiliated and unaffiliated congregants from around the globe can celebrate their beloved animal companions, small and large, with an interactive blessing service assembled by Sim Shalom, the world’s only E- Synagogue. The Blessing of the Animals fosters the loving relationship between all G–d’s creatures. To partake in the free prayer and joyous music ceremony participants can simply click on https://simshalom.com at 7:00pm EST on November 4th. For those that would like to have their pet’s name read during the blessing the Continue reading →

On October 3,Sim Shalom Online Synagogue founder Rabbi Blane, will offer a Rosh Hashanah Jazz service to an adventurous group of congregants looking for an innovative place to celebrate the Jewish New Year. “The beginning of the Jewish Calendar, is a fitting time to make beautiful noise,” according to Rabbi Blane. “The Torah prescribes us to sound of the shofar creating a joyful noise . Melding the vitality of the musical rhythms with traditional Jewish liturgy is a perfect way for us to reflect on Continue reading →

On Friday, September 16, 2016 Rabbi Steve Blane, Founder of Sim Shalom online synagogue, and Dean of JSLI, Jewish Spiritual Leader’s Institute, brought his love of jazz and Judaism together at the Rockleigh, NJ Jewish Home. Joined by New York bass player Kevin Hailey they performed Rabbi Blane’s original songs as well as Jazz Standards and traditional Jewish prayers for the residents. As soon as Rockleigh Jewish Home Sunni Herman, Exec VP, encountered Rabbi Blane she decided to bring him to share his musicality at Continue reading →

On the weekend of July 9th, 2016 the online Jewish Spiritual Leaders’ Institute Rabbinical School of Sim Shalom, celebrated the ordination of 12 new Rabbis, a total of 112 strong, in Delray Beach, Florida. The school and the jubilant ordination redefines the process of Rabbinical studies to fulfill the growing need of cutting edge solutions that meet the criteria of the twenty- first century Jewish congregant. Twelve newly ordained Rabbis joined the 100 JSLI trained Rabbis before them that serve worldwide in congregations as pulpit Continue reading →

In light of today’s arguments regarding the ordination of women in the Orthodox movement, of Israeli rabbis not recognizing American Jewish decision-making, of changing policies and perspectives regarding the LGBT community, of these and many more, is Jewish denominationalism a destructive force? Is it a unifying force? Something else? Clearly, the modern world does not want or work with a “one size fits all” approach to Judaism. This has been true for most of the 20th century if not for the whole of the Jewish diaspora. Continue reading →