A Divine Blessing of Food and Security With more than 40 million Americans struggling to put food on the table, gifts of food affirm the…
Posts published in “Chavurah”
Elegy for a Character: A Tzedakah Story Renee was a character, often exasperating those who didn’t “get” her. She also understood the true value of…
What the Bible Really Says: A Prayer for Those Who Love Humanity and Our Texts As someone who loves a religion that holds the texts…
An American Reflects on Independence Day from Israel July 4th in Israel is a day sandwiched between July 3rd and July 5th. Nonetheless, after work…
How My Family’s Immigrant History Influences My Values Today What happens when we let unfounded fear of one another obstruct our nation’s heritage of acceptance…
Two Musicians and a Liturgist: Creating Music for the New Year Learn the backstory of how a new song, “Creation Sings,” grew from the collaboration…
Reform Judaism: How It Evolved in America In his new book, Steven R. Weisman offers a compelling narrative about the formation of the Jewish religion…
Carrying the Spirit of Sukkot Into the Rest of the Year Israel is more than what makes the headlines. It is also filled with people…
What Can We Learn from a Chasidic Melody? Nigunim, wordless melodies, can take numerous forms: some are fast and energetic, others are ponderous and slow,…
Visiting When Someone in the Family is Ill When we visit the sick, it is our job to be present, kind, and ready to listen, all of…
The Small Miracle I Found in a Tel Aviv Café Accompanying student groups to the Kotel repeatedly reminds me that Israel is a place like…
How to Honor a Parent Who Can No Longer Remember Your Birthday Judaism places great importance on memory. But where do our obligations to remember…
My Love Affair with Cuba’s Jewish Community My love affair with Cuba’s Jewish community began in 2005, with my first mission to the country, where…
A Jewish Response to Political Scandal As we witness public figures dismantled by the revelation of ugly episodes from their pasts, we parents must distill…
What Jewish Lessons Can We Learn from Michelle Obama’s Book? Here are a few takeaways from Mrs. Obama’s book that coincide with Jewish values. 3/06/2019…
“Just Jewish,” A Poem for Imperfect Judaism Reform Jewish poet Edward Levin, Ph.D., shares a personal poem about trying to be a “good” Jew. 4/04/2019 Edward…
Host a More Welcoming Seder with This Potato Kugel – Yes, Really! My recipe for a delicious potato kugel is a delicious, unique way to introduce…
#GamAni: My #MeToo Story as a Jewish Male Survivor My sexual harassment was treated – by my harasser, by my peers, and even by my…
My Very First Shabbat: Looking Back Malachi’s parents regale me with what they most enjoy about being Jews: the gift of Shabbat, the beauty of…
Why Did Our Torah Commentator Smash Bottles and Idols? Dr. Ruhama Weiss, a professor at the Reform seminary in Jerusalem, challenge our assumptions as she…