Stones in the Soul: One Day in the Life of an American Rabbi

Reprinted from the Cleveland (Ohio) Plain Dealer , this inspirational re-creation of a day in the life of a rabbi invites serious contemplation. Kamin, spiritual leader of a Reform synagogue in that city, bares his grief over the failures of his ministry: he finds himself able to help neither a father whose son is a drug addict nor a youth who denies his Jewish heritage nor the parents who reject his gentile fiancee. Such crises, as well as indications of resurgent anti-Semitism, test the rabbi's faith. But as he considers the anguishing events of his day, Kamin finds consolation in happier, spiritually refreshing moments: a wedding, counseling a prisoner, arriving home to the joyful greetings of his two daughters--at such times ``some stones in the soul may dissolve.'' (Sept.)