The Gift of Suffering
In February 2017, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Now that my treatment is over, I search for the meaning in the most traumatic experience of my life.
Dr. Madelyn Mishkin Katz
The Courage to Be a Reform Jew
I must be honest. Purim is not my favorite holiday. Truth is, I was never a big costume person. Probably a therapist’s delight!
Nonetheless, I was a “good” mom and put aside my own mishagas (craziness) and helped my daughters with Purim costumes and parades so that we made it through enough years dressing up as characters from the story. However, it wasn't too long before they both expressed a similar “love” for costumes and parades and so Purim became a minor holiday in our house.
Reimagining Simchat Torah so Our Rejoicing Lasts All Year
The truth is Simchat Torah is not my favorite holiday.
There. I said it.
It isn’t for lack of love of Torah that I say this. Rather it’s because I’m not a dance-around-with-a-scroll-in-your arms type of person and, for most of my life, that’s what Simchat
My Hanukkiyot: They Light Up My Life
I love collecting hanukkiyot (menorahs). None is terribly expensive, but each one of the nearly 200 in my collection is unique. They were purchased in Judaica shops, on eBay auctions, and in the Judaica sections of the oddest stores, including Rite-Aid, CVS
Silent Disabilities: How Supportive Are We?
Jewish Disability Awareness Month is a powerful reminder that we are all created b'tzelem Elohim (in God's Image). We must keep all disabilities in mind, especially those that are "silent." Mental health disease is very prevalent in the Jewish community, yet