A Message from the CBI Clergy
Remember Her Name
January 9, 2026
The new book of Torah we begin this Shabbat is known in English (from the Greek) as Exodus. But in Hebrew it is named after the first significant word: Sh’mot – Names.
Before telling the grand tale of our exodus from Egypt, before we learn of the “new king who did not know Joseph” the book begins with names – a list of tribal heads who came to Egypt with Jacob, fleeing as immigrants seeking asylum in a new land. It was shortly afterwards that the new king began to spread rumors about the Israelites as disloyal strangers who needed to be dealt with in the harshest of ways.
We Jews understand what it means to be an identified as “other.”
The shooting death this week of an unarmed civilian by federal ICE agents in Minnesota is a reminder of the effects of an immigration enforcement operation gone rogue. That fact that this woman was a US Citizen was immaterial to the immigration agents and offered her no protection. As with any shooting at the hands of law enforcement there should be an objective and unbiased investigation into the circumstances of her death. As is common with law enforcement officers in these circumstances, all the agents involved should be identified and removed from duty pending the results of the investigation – and be legally prosecuted if called for.
Why does our Torah portion begin with names? Rashi says it is to insure that we remember how dear they were to G-d. To remind us that they were individuals and worthy of being remembered. To not allow us to “other” a person with labels, but to uphold her humanity.
Remember her name: Renee Nicole Good. A mom, a wife, a daughter, a valuable member of her community. May her name be an inspiration to us to hold immigration enforcement accountable.
—Rabbi Michael Z. Cahana
Senior Rabbi
Note: Last night we learned of a disturbing Border Patrol shooting here in Portland of two individuals under circumstances that somewhat parallel the shooting in Minnesota. There is still much that is unknown about this. We are urging protests to be peaceful during this time of heightened tension in our community and our nation.
- After the Terrorist Attack in Sydney: Lighting the First Chanukah Candle | December 14, 2025
From the Desk of Rabbi Rachel Joseph
Sunday, December 14, 2025Tonight, we are meant to light the first candle on our Chanukah menorah. And yet many of us woke up to devastating news from the other side of the world of a brutal terrorist attack at a public Chanukah gathering at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, where people were murdered as they gathered to bring light into the world.
Just before Shabbat, I wrote to you that as we enter Chanukah this year, I find myself returning to the image of a single light kindled in deep darkness and how that light says we will not let the darkness define us. And now, heartbreakingly, the darkness feels close again.
We grieve deeply for those who were killed, and we hold their families and loved ones in our hearts. We condemn this terrorist attack against the Jewish community in Sydney, and we condemn all acts of violence against Jews meant to instill fear and silence joy. This violence affects all of us who long to gather safely, publicly, and proudly as Jews.
Chanukah does not promise us that the world will be safe;
Chanukah asks us something harder: to keep choosing light anyway, to keep lighting our chanukiyot, to publicize the miracle as a refusal to let hatred and terror extinguish who we are.
We must continue to gather and light our candles, and proclaim that Jewish life is resilient and enduring. And we will hold one another in this painful moment, knowing that none of us carries this alone.
May the memories of those who were killed be a blessing. May healing come to those who are wounded in body and spirit. And may the light we kindle tonight—small, steady, and miraculous—help us find our way forward together.
Rabbi Rachel Joseph
Senior Rabbi Designate