Joel Alter

Apply for a Blog

Nov 7, 2023, 12:41 PM

A Prayer for the Soldiers

A Prayer for Chayalei Tzahal Inspired by Deuteronomy 20:1-9 The soldiers, dear God. Their beautiful faces. Radiant, confident, and proud. Smiling out from their uniforms. Berets folded neatly atop their shoulders. Rifles slung casually off to the side. God, You know the soldiers, each of them, from...

Apr 8, 2021, 8:04 AM

A Yizkor Prayer on the One-Year Covid Anniversary א-ל מלא רחמים Compassionate God, when the virus came, we stepped inside. We closed our windows and our doors. Against infection, DISTANCE. Against contagion, SEPARATION. Against outbreak, QUARANTINE. Counting seconds as we scrubbed our hands. Counting paces...

Mar 18, 2021, 6:16 PM

A Covid year Seder: New symbols for the table

The Seder’s symbols recall the past: Haroset — for the mortar of the bricks; Maror — for the bitterness of slavery. Yet one of the Seder's gifts is seeking present meaning in our deep dive into ancient Egypt. Feel (taste!) the...

Jun 4, 2020, 1:35 AM

Protesting in God’s Wake

American streets, long hushed by our ongoing pandemic, suddenly pulse with protest. There are chants and cries, grief, and rage, too. A new crisis is upon us. As a society, we can absorb the blows of injustice for a long...

May 1, 2014, 6:21 PM

The Torah of listening

A sensitive and thoughtful girl who had been my student the year before knocked on my office door. She wanted to talk. Actually, she needed to cry. Now in 8th grade and learning about the Holocaust for the first...

Load more

About Me

A Conservative rabbi, solo parent, and gay man, Rabbi Joel Alter has served Milwaukee's Congregation Beth Israel Ner Tamid since 2018.

Contact Me