Changing One Person’s Mind Can Help to Change the World In eighth grade, I finally came to terms with my LGBTQ identity. A year later,…
The Worldwide Chavurah
Remembering Al Vorspan, z”l: The Prophet Who Loved to Laugh Al Vorspan, a giant for social justice, died on February 17 at the age of…
Remembering the Life and Legacy of Rabbi Lynne Landsberg, z”l Just a few days after the first yahrzeit of my friend and mentor, I can’t…
A Brief History of Jews and Presidential Politics American Jewish leaders used to insist that there is no such thing as “Jewish politics,” but their…
Wholly Jewish: Our New Podcast Showcases the Beauty of Jewish Diversity In our new podcast, Wholly Jewish, Jews across the ethnic, cultural, and gender spectrums tell…
In Israel, Finding Value in the Voices of the “Other” I love the sounds of Jerusalem. The voices, noises, and music all tell stories that…
How the Jewish Community Can Lead on the Issue of Mental Health In April 2015, when I was 15 years old, I learned that my…
Drawing Comfort from Tradition When Tragedy Strikes On the first anniversary of the Parkland shooting, we remember the lost lives and the lost innocence of…
The Torah of the ADA: A Reflection I am a lawyer. I graduated Harvard law school and have practiced law for major corporations and large…
What Is Our Responsibility to Future Generations? Learn Torah from NFTY-ite April Springer, winner of this year’s Blickstein D’var Torah Competition. 2/11/2019 April Springer Read…
What is Chutzpah and Why Do Jews Have It? It’s hard to find an exact English translation for chutzpah, but Steve Jobs’ marketing manager defined…
Yahrzeit for 14 Youths: Deaths We Can’t Live With Tonight marks the Sabbath before the yahrzeit for 14 youths and three adults shot to death…
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…
Fiddler on the Roof and the Joys of Yiddish You don’t have to know mamalushen (the mother tongue) to enjoy the hit musical Fidler Afn…
Hiding My Disability Kept Me from My Fullest Life At a very young age, I absorbed the message that illness and disability were things to…
How to Get It Just Right: Follow Instructions and Improvise In the Torah portion T’rumah, the word “tavnit” or “pattern” occurs three times, referring to…
#10YearChallenge: The Struggle for Equal Pay Remains Here’s what you can do to ensure that we continue to make progress toward pay equity. 2/05/2019 Ally Karpel…
Vandals Destroyed Our Sanctuary, but Not Our Spirit Recently, a bully breached the fence surrounding Congregation Natan Ya, a Progressive synagogue in Israel, and stuck…
Disability Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusion: From Stigma to Pride Rabbi Edythe Held Mencher helps us understand why the language of disability is such a powerful determinant…
Cold: Prayer for a Chilly Shabbat Snow days can be fun; not so this kind of cold. It was colder in Chicago this week than…