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Neal Katz

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May 15, 2026, 10:36 PM

The Upside-Down Joke

In 1992, Rabbi Joseph Telushkin published a book called Jewish Humor, exploring what Jewish jokes reveal about the Jewish people. It quickly became one of my favorite books. I memorized many of the jokes, but even more than the...

Mar 20, 2026, 6:17 PM

My Heart Is in the East

To my friends and family in Israel— I write to you from afar, but not from a distance of the heart. As a Reform rabbi and a proud Zionist living in the United States, I find myself part of a vast...

Jan 27, 2026, 1:20 AM

Songs Are Born after Survival, Not Before

When I teach Parashat Beshalach, I sometimes begin in an unexpected place—with a movie. The Prince of Egypt, the animated classic from 1998, remains one of the most powerful retellings of the Exodus ever put on screen. Its music still...

Oct 15, 2025, 11:19 AM

Sharing an adapted version of the note that I sent to my synagogue in Texas on Monday, October 13th, when the living hostages were released from captivity. Today is a day of light. After two long years, all of the...

Jan 8, 2025, 12:39 AM

Pete the Magic Dragon

For 10 years, I was involved with a project in my community called "Art of Peace." It was a week-long series of events to promote messages of peace. One of our communal offerings was a yearly "Peace Concert," and...

Dec 20, 2024, 11:33 AM

One light in a dark valley

In these days, the world feels darker and darker. Enter a recent piece of art a local church lovingly shared with my congregation

Feb 14, 2024, 7:35 PM

The funky art of uplift in Texas

An installation in support of the hostages, from Congregation Beth El of Tyler, Texas's solidarity trip to Israel, with Rabbi Neal Katz. (via Facebook)

Some people are in the business of justifying terror, but there is a more powerful message coming from those who love

Nov 3, 2023, 8:38 AM

To Everything There Is a Season

A meditation shared with my congregation in America: From Kohelet/Ecclesiastes: לַכֹּל זְמָן וְעֵת לְכָל־חֵפֶץ תַּחַת הַשָּׁמָֽיִם L’kol z’man v’et l’chol chafetz tachat ha-shamayim. To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven; A time to be born, and a...

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About Me

Neal Katz is the rabbi of Congregation Beth El in Tyler, Texas. He was ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR), and is a member of the Zionist Rabbinic Coalition, Recharge Reform, and locally, he is involved in a number of non-profit organizations.