Seth Goldstein

Rabbi Seth Goldstein has served as the rabbi of Temple Beth Hatfiloh in Olympia, WA since 2003. He was ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and also holds an MA from the Jewish Theological Seminary. He is a member of the board of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, served as a co-chair of an RRA task force examining issues of Jewish status and identity and is a participant in the Clergy Leadership Program of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. A regular blogger at his personal blog Rabbi360, Rabbi Goldstein is the author of numerous published articles and a contributor to A Guide to Jewish Practice: Shabbat and Holidays. He is both committed to creating vibrant Jewish community and using a spiritual voice to speak to issues of social justice and common concern.


Articles by Seth Goldstein

Where Are You @?

I was in college in the early ’90s when I got my first email address. After my roommate came home one ...

Should Jews Vote for Bernie?

Last night Bernie Sanders made history as the first Jew to win a primary in a presidential election, soundly defeating ...

You Gotta Be In It to Win It

As the old lottery tagline goes, you gotta be in it to win it.Tonight’s Powerball drawing is up to $1.5 ...

Joseph, the Brother Sold Into Slavery, is…[SPOILER ALERT]

With the new Star Wars movie premiering this week, social media has gone into full spoiler prevention mode. People are ...

Why I’m Tired of Praying for Peace

We moved into Shabbat last week with the news of the attacks in Paris on our minds. The multiple coordinated ...

Love Thy (Next-Door) Neighbor as Thyself

I am a fan of The Twilight Zone, the TV series from the 1960s created by Rod Serling (Jewish!). Each ...

Dear School Officials, Please Don’t Excuse Absence from School Today. Encourage It.

Dear School Officials,Today is Yom Kippur, the most sacred day of the Jewish calendar. It is the Day of Atonement, ...

The Elul of Victory and Defeat

Heartbreaking news out of the sports world Monday: At the track and field World Championships in Beijing, American Molly Huddle ...

Love Thy Neighbor. (Except On Email?)

One of my hobbies is chicken keeping. My municipality allows small flocks of hens (no roosters — too loud) within ...

Why We Should Separate Civil and Religious Marriage. And Why We Shouldn’t.

Same sex marriage is now the law of the land. The Supreme Court’s ruling last week in Obergefell v. Hodges ...