October 28, 2024
Rabbi Jade Sank Ross pairs ancient psalms with contemporary life events, opening our understanding of psalms and the ways they can provide comfort, connection, and meaning today for moments of despair or joy, pain or gratitude.
New York, NY – October 2024 – CCAR Press, a division of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, proudly announces the publication of To You I Call: Psalms Throughout Our Lives—a collection of seventy-five psalms connected to different life moments—by Rabbi Jade Sank Ross. Rabbi Sank Ross was ordained from Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion and serves The Community Synagogue in Port Washington, New York. The volume includes a foreword by Rabbi Elyse D. Frishman, editor of Mishkan T’filah: A Reform Siddur.
Sung in the ancient Temple, in houses of worship, and around dining room tables, the psalms have long provided language for Jewish ritual and life cycle. With this innovating collection, Rabbi Sank Ross invites us to make the ancient words of psalms part of our daily lives. A range of life moments—from giving birth to retirement to voting to experiencing antisemitism—are included in this volume, each paired with sensitivity to a different psalm. Rabbi Sank Ross’s original, authentic framing and beautiful translations by Rabbi Richard Levy, open a door to deep and personal connections with these ancient words. To You I Call brings the psalms to life for our lives, today.
Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl, Senior Rabbi of Central Synagogue, said, “In this beautiful collection, Rabbi Jade Sank Ross makes the ancient words of the Psalmist accessible for the times when words fail us—in our extreme despair or joy, pain or gratitude. Her wise, thoughtful suggestions of psalms for life moments remind us that we are not alone, and invite us to glimpse God’s hand in our journey.”
“The wisdom of our tradition is timeless, yet too often tucked away in a forgotten verse in the corner of the beit midrash (study hall),” said composer and musician Rabbi Josh Warshawsky. “Rabbi Sank Ross has captured the brilliance and relevance of so many of our teachings, lifting them off the page for us to embrace for any situation we may encounter in our lives.”
Rabbi Elie Kaunfer, CEO of the Hadar Institute, said that “Rabbi Jade Sank Ross has imagined a world in which the wisdom of the Book of Psalms permeates the ups and downs of our real lives. Through her pastoral sensitivity and creative readings, Rabbi Sank Ross powerfully brings these ancient words to life, inviting us to recite them with true connection and devotion.”
“Weary from wars, uncertainty, and fear, Rabbi Sank Ross invites us to pause,” said Janet Walton, SNJM, Professor Emerita of Worship at Union Theological Seminary. “Take another look at our ancient texts, the psalms—you will be surprised and strengthened by what you see and feel. Rabbi Sank Ross offers words of hope and wisdom for every need and occasion.”
To You I Call: Psalms Throughout Our Lives is available at toyouicall.ccarpress.org.
To request review copies, interview opportunities, or to book author events, please contact: Raquel Fairweather-Gallie, Marketing and Sales Manager, CCAR Press: rfairweather@ccarnet.org.