Liya Rechtman

A picture of Liya smiling

Liya Rechtman (she/her) is a 2014-2015 Eisendrath Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. Liya graduated in 2014 from Amherst College, and is originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., where she is a member of Brooklyn Heights Synagogue.

Earth Day is Coming: Why Should Jews Care?

Liya Rechtman

For many North American Jews, Passover marks the "official" start of spring. As the weather warms, many are taking the opportunity to walk instead of drive, breathe some (not totally frigid) fresh air, and explore the world around us. We are also celebrating the 45th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22

The Four Children of Climate Change

Liya Rechtman

We often talk at the seder about the Four Children: the Wise, the Wicked, the Simple, and the Silent children (or, as the last is often called, the Child Who Does Not Know How To Ask). We see a little of ourselves in each child as we discuss their place in the

The Right to Wear a Kippah in Israel

Liya Rechtman

I don’t remember the first time I skimmed my skull with a bobby pin and pushed a circle of knitted white cloth and strands of hair into its metal clasp. Wearing a kippah felt like a natural extension of the Jewish history I was learning and the Hebrew grammar

Green Kislev: A Hanukkah Conservation Challenge

Liya Rechtman

Welcome to December and the Jewish month of Kislev! Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, is just around the corner, and as the days shorten towards the winter equinox later this month, it seems fitting to focus on how we light our houses.

The Roman historian