Rabbi Josh Franklin
Enliven the Jewish Experience
Interfaith Interpretations of Parables
In a series of discussions of Jewish and Christian parables in literature, the Rev. Ben Shambaugh of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and Rabbi Josh Franklin of the Jewish Center of the Hamptons have introduced complementary examples from their own traditions.
Rabbi Josh Franklin delivers sermon written by AI: ChatGPT can't replace me
Jewish Center of the Hampton senior Rabbi Josh Franklin tells 'The Claman Countdown' why he used ChatGPT to generate a sermon on the Book of Genesis. . . . Click Here to Watch
The rise of the robo-rabbi? A spiritual leader turned to ChatGPT to pen a recent sermon
Rabbi Joshua Franklin says computers lack the soul necessary to connect with congregations. While Franklin gave the AI credit for synthesizing information in an understandable way, he said there were certain limitations, namely that it lacks nefesh, a Hebrew word often translated to mean “a soul.” The emergence of AI that is increasingly difficult to discern from human output has raised ethical questions in areas like academia, where some universities are already taking steps to prevent its use for cheating. But Franklin dismissed the idea that a computer can ever convey the sense of connection and spiritual understanding necessary for his job. . . . click here to read more
Local Faith Leaders Contemplate Their Roles in a Post-Roe World
In the ongoing national debate over recent weeks, new voices have risen from the cacophony of opinionated outcry: clergy. . . . Click to read more
Rabbi to Spend Six Days at the Polish-Ukrainian Border
Rabbi Joshua Franklin of the Jewish Center of the Hamptons will travel to the Polish-Ukrainian border on April 9, along with a delegation of about 25 American and Israeli rabbis. . . . Click here to read more
An Amazing Game: 2022 Artists & Writers Game Ends with Historic Comeback
“Bases loaded, two out and another stranger who also did not have a name on his back had just taken strike two. It had come down to this. One last swing.The pitch came in high, but the stranger swung at it, hitting a fly ball that gracefully rose up and up, then down and down to just clear the left field fence over the outstretched glove of the Artists’ left fielder. The Writers had won, and they did it by scoring 17 runs in the bottom of the ninth.As people jumped up and down for joy, I walked out onto the field where this hitter was being congratulated by everybody. Who was he? “He’s the rabbi,” somebody said.” . . . Click here to read more
Rabbi Bears Witness in Poland
“We’re out of rape kit sutures,” a trauma aid worker, on the Polish-Ukraine border, told Rabbi Joshua Franklin of the Jewish Center of the Hamptons. “And, you know, when you hear something like that, you barely need to hear any more,” Rabbi Franklin said this week. “But it’s indicative of the extent of trauma that Ukrainians have dealt with.”
Anti-Semitism is Alive
I still recall the pleasant surprise of reading the 2009 report from the Anti-Defamation League, which cited an all-time low of anti-Semitic attitudes. I believed that we were headed into a new era, and I believed that the trend of dropping anti-Semitic feelings would continue over the course of the next decade. . . . Click here to read more
South Fork Jewish Community to Haters: “You are not the new normal”
More than 600 people filled the pews and overflowed into a basement meeting room for an interfaith vigil hosted by the Jewish Center of the Hamptons Thursday evening, honoring the 11 people murdered and the six police officers injured last weekend in the worst antisemitic attack in U.S. history. . . . Click Here to Read More
Rabbi Josh Franklin Talks the Next Generation of Judaism
The Jewish Center of the Hamptons (JCOH) in East Hampton is, as Rabbi Josh Franklin calls it, “post-denominational.” Rather than shoehorn themselves into labels like Reform, Conservative or Orthodox, the JCOH promotes inclusivity among the Jewish community and hopes that everyone will feel comfortable and find a place there. For Franklin, community is a vital part of being Jewish.
New Rabbi Celebrates a New Year: At Jewish Center of the Hamptons, Joshua Franklin hopes for long tenure
It has been a whirlwind of a year for Joshua Franklin, who was officially installed as the new rabbi of the Jewish Center of the Hamptons on Sept. 2, less than three weeks before today’s beginning of the High Holidays.
JewishBoston.com: How might I integrate or use technology to create a meaningful Passover seder?
Rabbi Josh offers ways to spice up your Passover seder through the creative use of technology
Wicked Local: Hebrew College brings Jewish studies to Newton Living Rooms
“For Jews in their twenties and thirties, synagogues and other organized affiliations aren’t always on the agenda,” said Rabbi Josh Franklin, who leads the Eser group and was one of the guitar players that night. “Eser creates community through the lens of deep Jewish experience and learning. It gives people Jewish learning in a way that’s informal, intimate and accessible.”
NPR: Marketplace Tech Report
Rabbi Josh discusses ways that technology has impacted the Jewish world, and new innovative ways to enrich Jewish worship and Jewish life.
Beer is the Wine of the Land: Exhibit at the Jewish Museum of Munich
Rabbi Josh's brewing and session on Beer and the Bible was featured in the Jewish Museum of Munich's exhibition catalogue "Beer is the Wine of the Land."
Translation: Reform congregations in the US offer variety of interesting programs. At Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, MA, Rabbi Josh Franklin teaches a class "Beer and the Bible," in which the community members not only learn about beer in the Bible, but also brew beers together such as "Jew-Bock-A" the "BETHeweizen."
The Jewish Boston Podcast: Here Comes Hannukah (12/10/2015)
Jesse and Jen chat with Rabbi Josh Franklin of Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley about Hanukkah. Questions include: What role does Hanukkah play in the history of the Jewish people? What role does it play for modern Jews? How/why does it compete with Christmas?
Balancing the Scales of Justice: Crane Lake Camp Blog
צֶדֶק צֶדֶק תִּרְדֹּף Justice Justice shall you pursue (Deuteronomy 16:20)
These words of Torah have been the battle cry for those who seek social justice and human rights. They have also been a core text through which Crane Lake Camp has examined our weekly value of צֶדֶק, Tzedek, justice. The rabbis point out that the word צֶדֶק (tzedek) is repeated in order to teach us that there are two forms of justice that we ought pursue, both being valuable. Jewish justice, they teach, can be pursued both legally, and through acts of compassion. In both cases, we seek to restore balance to the scales of an unfairly weighted world. Our Crane Lake community has been exploring how we can pursue justice at camp. While pursuing legal justice might fall beyond the scope of our camp’s expertise, campers have been discovering that they can enact justice through acts of compassion... Click here to read more