Sim Shalom to Provide Sustenance on Day of Fasting with Yom Kippur Jazz Service from the Bitter End

On Wednesday October 12th the Day of Atonement, Sim Shalom founder Rabbi Cantor Steven Blane who is also a recording singer-songwriter will lead a jazz quartet and individuals hungry for creative religious fulfillment. The improvisational sounds of rhythmic jazz and traditional Jewish liturgy will allow affiliated and unaffiliated Jews a creative vehicle to cleanse the soul. The service will begin at 10:30 am at the Bitter End in New York City. For those not able to attend live, the service will be streamed with worldwide Continue reading →

Sim Shalom and UJUC Rabbis to Offer Services of Awe for High Holidays

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 →

Fountain of Youth Springs with Sim Shalom Rabbi’s Jazz Concert at the Jewish Home at Rockleigh

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 →

JSLI Ordains the Future of the Rabbinate with 11th Class of Global Rabbis

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 →

Jewish Chronicle- Jewish Denominations- On the Decline or Rise? Great Op-Ed by Rabbi Reichmann

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 →