Rabbi Julie Zupan (she/her) is the Director of Jewish Engagement and Learning for Congregational Engagement and Leadership Experiences at the Union for Reform Judaism, where her work focuses on supporting newcomers to Judaism and Jewish community. She was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and is a member of Temple Sinai of Sharon, MA.
With the popularity of DNA testing kits and ancestry websites, I often hear from people wondering if their test results of "X% Ashkenazi Jewish" mean that they are Jewish.
As we enjoy this year’s sweet charoset, let us cherish and express our gratitude for the essential workers, medical professionals, everyday heroes, and others who provided the sweetness that helped temper the bitters we tasted this year.
In Judaism, when someone has died, it is customary to add the expression, “May their memory be for a blessing” after mentioning the deceased by name. In Hebrew, the expression is “ zichrona livracha” (feminine), “ zichrono livracha” (masculine), or “ zichronam livracha” (plural or gender-neutral) and is typically abbreviated
It's a challenge and necessity, especially during this pandemic, to set boundaries between work time and family or personal time, between home office and home. How do we do that, emotionally?