Related Blog Posts on High Holidays, Jewish Learning, Jewish Values, Spirituality, and Tikkun Olam
Creating High Holiday Memories for Children
Finding ways to make the High Holidays meaningful for your child is an important way to nurture their Jewish identity. There are many ways to celebrate at home, like reading books, making crafts, or discussing what the holiday means to you and them.
You’re Invited to Remember
Growing up, I saw Yizkor as a mysterious event on Yom Kippur afternoon. The grownups would return to temple in the afternoon, while my sister and I stayed home. There was no explanation, just an understanding that this was a thing our parents and grandparents did, and we did not.
Extraordinary Ordinary Heroes
Simcha Blass, Helen Suzman, Eddie Jacobson, and Abby Stein all contributed to our world in different ways. Yet, they shared traits - commitment, integrity, resolve and an inner sense that they could make a difference.
Breathe Bravely
This reflection on the theme of bravery explores the ways that the author's mixedness, Jewishness, and range of emotions are tied to what it means to her to be brave.
Eight Hebrew Words and Phrases to Learn
Learning new words and phrases can be enjoyable, but when they're in a new language, they can also be daunting. If you'd like to build your own Jewish vocabulary, here are a few words and phrases that you can use in everyday conversation.
How the Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting and Processing Grief Led Me to Heller High – and Changed My Life
I became bat mitzvah on October 27, 2018. It was both one of the best and worst days of my life. At the same time I was on the bima at my home congregation of Temple Emanuel in Greensboro, NC, a gunman at another community in Pittsburgh walked into the Tree of Life Synagogue and killed 11 Jewish people.
Judgment Days
Some label Rosh HaShanah and the period between the New Year and Yom Kippur as "Judgment Days," a time during which the trajectory of our lives for the coming year is reached.
Making Yom Kippur Meaningful for Young Children
There are a myriad of ways to make Yom Kippur meaningful for young children for whom it is not an easy holiday to understand.
Repent, Repair, Renew
Perhaps the act of gluing is a metaphor for tikkun olam, the act of repairing the world, which is central to our beliefs as Reform Jews. There are so many issues to ponder.
Dawn: An Elul Poem
As we prepare for the High Holy Days, we engage in cheshbon hanefesh, an accounting of the soul. During the month of Elul, we look inward and reflect. This poem speaks to the possibilities of healing ourselves and our world.