Each Father's Day, I reflect on my father, now deceased, and my relationship with him, and his relationship with me.

And at this moment, in the midst of the pandemic, we are witnessing a time of reckoning for the racial divide that has torn our society apart for so long. What does it mean to bring a baby into a world in desperate need of r’fuah sh’leimah, the full healing of body, heart, and soul?

My boys are making forts using all the pillows in the house. They strong-armed my husband into setting up our camping tent outside, and they sit there as the day grows hot.

Scores of organizations mobilized in 2018 to enact a new iteration of Dr. King’s 1968 campaign for the poor. It is called The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, and I am proud that our Reform Jewish community is a partner in this important campaign.

For many white observers, the protests calling for an end to police violence and Black liberation that erupted over the weekend may have appeared sudden. Yes, they came directly after the killing of George Floyd, but they were anything but sudden.

As an Israeli citizen and white citizen of the United States, I believe that Black Lives Matter – and that no American of good conscience can simply opt out of engaging with the pervasive issue of racism in America. If we will it, it is no dream.

Now, as restrictions begin to lift, we are faced once again with how to conduct our worship in meaningful ways. Just because our synagogues can be open does not necessarily mean that they should be.

This summer, just in time for Pride Month, ReformJudaism.org is proudly releasing season two of Wholly Jewish, which will focus on members of the Jewish LGBTQ+ community. 

This Shabbat, recite these 15 words of this ancient and powerful b’racha. Take a knee to show your vulnerability. Take a knee in protest and offer this blessing with the hopes of truly bringing a sense of peace and wholeness at a time when it is so deeply needed.