Blog

This year, as Jews across the globe begin to prepare for the High Holy Days, the most sacred time of year, I personally feel a sense of deep despair and fierce urgency to enter the year of 5786 embracing the particular and the universal.

As I wrestled with my feelings after October 7th, I found that poetry offered me an unexpected outlet. Whether reflecting on the lives lost, the joy of seeing hostages come home, or the comfort I found in our traditions, writing gave me a respite from the complex emotions I was experiencing.

As the shofar’s call approaches and we step into the sacred space of a new year, we are invited to hold two truths at once: that our lives matter beyond measure, and that we are but a small part of a vast and unfolding universe.

Kids have plenty of ways to connect with Judaism. But one route goes underrecognized: Jewish books.

In the fifth grade, I aged out of my synagogue’s High Holidays kiddie services. Countless Jewish families have faced this dilemma over the years. Many of us consider Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur the only two occasions when attending services is mandatory.

As a Jew, do you feel welcomed and safe to express your authentic self in all aspects of your life? As an educator, I've championed identity safe classrooms, based on research that indicates when students’ identities are affirmed, they perform better in school.

During the month of Elul, we are invited to listen deeply. Each weekday morning, we are invited to hear the cry of the shofar, marking the beginning of our spiritual journey toward the High Holy Days.

Haikus about the weekly Torah portions.

I’ve been reviewing film and TV here at URJ for nearly a decade and have never seemed to lack for Jewish cinema to cover. Recently, I had the realization that the year was nearly half over, yet I hadn’t written a single movie review.