Jewish Journeys
When I returned from my sixth Jewish humanitarian mission to the island of Cuba at the beginning of February, little did I know that the entire world would be in quarantine only a month later. It now feels like a miracle that we were all able to be together. I first visited the country in 2005 and wrote about my fifth visit in 2019. In the 15 years since I began visiting the island, I’ve witnessed incredible growth within the community, as well as the continued struggle and survival of those who live within the confines of Cuban society. I’ve also had the joy of seeing the young children I... Read More
My career path wasn't always clear, and certainly not straight, but I recently discovered that I can draw a direct line from my current role as inaugural national director of Ta'amod: Stand Up! to the guiding Jewish values of my upbringing. Raised by parents who marched on Washington, protested during the civil rights movement, and advocated for public school reform, the language of activism and equity was commonplace in my house and directly impacted my upbringing. I have vivid memories of my mother’s League of Women Voters’ meetings, as they led the charge to finish... Read More
This is the third year in row that I’ve interviewed my mother, Adela, a Holocaust survivor, for Mother’s Day. In our 2018 and 2019 interviews, she revealed memories that she’d previously kept to herself, like the last time she saw her own mother. Knowing little about my martyred maternal grandmother, I decided there was no better time to ask. ReformJudaism.org: What memories do you have of your mother, Leah? I remember my mother always being busy with housework, especially around Shabbat, when my father brought home strangers he had met at the shul to enjoy a hot meal and a comfortable... Read More
When I was 6 or 7 years old, my older sister, our friend, and I draped a sheet over my mother’s backyard clothesline in Champaign, IL, to create our secret clubhouse. In the 1940s, if you didn’t have a tree house or some kind of playhouse in your backyard, you rigged up a makeshift shelter where you could chat, share secrets, and keep a stash of forbidden goodies. One day while in our hideaway, the chit-chatting got to me, and I screamed, “We’re not getting anything done.” I made a quick exit out of the hideaway and ran into our house. “Getting something done” has been my mantra for my... Read More
Since stay-at-home orders went into effect due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I have enthusiastically and gratefully joined a few Shabbat services across the country every week. I’ve joined remote services in multiple cities within my home state of California, as well as in Virginia, North Carolina, and beyond. Some of them have become my regular go-to services, and because I live on the West Coast, I am often able to participate in three or four Shabbat services each Friday night. In doing so, I’ve witnessed incredible innovation by rabbis, cantors, and other congregational leaders to bring... Read More
Subscribe to 
