Scott A. Tepper, at The Blogs

Oct 3, 2022, 6:29 AM

Seeking T’shuva with One of Jonah’s Sailors

I’ve been fortunate to spend the Yamim Nora’im in a couple of lovely seaside settings. For 12 years I led Yamim Nora'im at United Brothers Synagogue in Bristol RI (RI’s 2nd-oldest synagogue). Bristol is your typical New England whaling town,...

Aug 23, 2022, 12:15 AM

Improvisation and Chazzanut

My previous post was about things being the same a lot. Let's look at the other side now. We Jews call the professional (or semi-pro) who leads tefilla with some greater skill (voice, musicality, repertoire, song-leading, stage presence, etc.) a...

Jul 21, 2022, 8:54 PM

The Dead and Davvening

I had a wonderful opportunity to spend time with Kid #1 when we were both visiting my parents. We took a walk and I was gushing about my recent fortunate opportunities to hear Joe Russo’s Almost Dead (JRAD) and Melvin...

Apr 5, 2022, 12:59 AM

Let’s get rid of ‘antisemitism’

Before you roll your eyes and remark, “Great idea, Rabbi Obvious,” please note the quotation marks. I mean it’s time to retire the term. Yes, it’s been the well-known brand name for hatred of Jews for almost 150 years,...

Mar 7, 2022, 6:55 PM

Purim is for Deadheads

(Note: A Deadhead is a devoted fan of the American rock band The Grateful Dead. If you are not conversant in the Grateful Dead canon, you may encounter unfamiliar turns of phrase. These are mostly quotations or paraphrases of...

About Me

Scott A. Tepper (Him etc., a/k/a Reb Zisha) has been a ba’al tefilla and teacher in Boston's Jewish community and beyond for decades. Scott has a BA in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University and an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He created and teaches the webinar “Grateful Jews – Exploring Jewish Connections to the World of the Grateful Dead” and is a member of the Grateful Dead Studies Association. His first Grateful Dead concert was May 7, 1977 at the original Boston Garden. Scott's primary career has been in applications and software training.

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