Linda K. Wertheimer

Linda K. Wertheimer is a veteran journalist who writes about religion, education, and family for various publications and blogs at Jewish Muse, A Writer’s Blog on Faith and Family. She is The Boston Globe’s former education editor and teaches journalism at Boston University.

A Tribute to Debbie Friedman, Who Helped Me Understand and Love Judaism

Linda K. Wertheimer

Editor's Note: This piece was originally published on January 13, 2011, immedately following the death of beloved Jewish musician Debbie Friedman, z"l. How did Debbie Friedman's music impact your life? We'd love to hear from you in the comment section below. 

A Taste for Religion and Community - at Age 4!

Linda K. Wertheimer

My husband was working late, so my son and I had a thrown-together dinner of leftover pasta, yogurt, and carrots. I added one touch, store-bought challah, to give our table a semblance of Shabbat.

The sight of the braided bread was enough to spark my 4-year-old

Ritual Smooths Salve on Long-ago Loss

Linda K. Wertheimer

Ignorant of my faith, I could not turn to Judaism when my brother died 25 years ago. Ritual was not a part of my upbringing, and it lingered in the shadows through my 20s and most of my 30s. Only in the last decade have I started to follow the path that