Back to the Future is one of my favorite movies. If I happen to stumble upon it when I turn on the television, I can’t not watch it. There is something about the film that simply speaks to me.
Aside from being great entertainment, Back to the Future taps into a universal longing: to revisit the past, to understand where we come from, and to use that knowledge to create a better future. Beneath its humor and sci-fi adventure, it’s really a story about time, family, and legacy — the same themes that have always been at the core of Jewish life.
In Back to the Future, time isn’t just a backdrop — it’s a living force. The film reminds us that the past, present, and future are deeply intertwined, that every action reverberates across generations. When Marty McFly travels back to 1955, he learns that small choices — an act of courage, a word of kindness, a moment of faith — can reshape an entire future.
That same truth lives at the heart of Congregation B’nai Israel.
This community is, in its own way, a “time machine.” Every Shabbat, every holiday, every life cycle event connects us simultaneously to the generations who came before and to those yet to come. When we sing the Shema, we’re not only reciting ancient words — we’re standing in the same sacred current of time that flowed through Sinai, through our grandparents, and into our children’s hearts.
Like Marty and Doc Brown, CBI is always balancing two timelines: honoring the past and envisioning the future. The classrooms, sanctuary, and community gatherings all are portals between those two realms. The stories told in the Torah become living wisdom in our present. The melodies sung decades ago still echo in today’s prayers, and the ideas we plant in our learners’ minds will shape Jewish life far beyond our own years.
In Back to the Future, Doc Brown tells Marty, “Your future hasn’t been written yet. No one’s has. Your future is whatever you make it, so make it a good one.”
Here at CBI, our clergy and lay leaders are the architects of that unfolding future. Through their vision, creativity, and compassion, they are reimagining how worship, learning, and community engagement can speak to a new generation while staying true to our timeless values. Together with the congregation, they are forging an exciting future — one rooted in tradition yet filled with innovation, joy, and purpose.
So when we step into this community — into the rhythm of prayer, the energy of learning, or the warmth of fellowship — we are doing something profoundly timeless. We are traveling back to the future: returning to the wisdom of our ancestors in order to build a future that is open, compassionate, and deeply Jewish.
At CBI, time is not something that passes –- it is something we pass on.
Ruth Kirshner
Board President
