The Gay Synagogue I Didn’t Know I Needed
Congregation Kol Ami in West Hollywood, CA, is dedicated to raising the voices of queer folks so the rest of the Jewish community cannot help but hear our cry.
A Familiar Conversation with a Family Twist
It's a conversation I had had hundreds of times in my 44 years as a Jewish educator. However, this time was different: It was with my son.
How I Feel as a Jew During Christmas
Sustaining a minority culture in the face of Christmas’s incessant commercial drumbeat can be exhausting.
I Will Shelter You
Way back in July 1990, when my daughter Katie was two years old, Ellen turned to our little girl and said, "Tell Daddy something he doesn't know." Katie whispered, smiling shyly, "Today is Mommy's birthday." Can you say doghouse?
How Do We Make God Holy?
The point of being Jewish is to have a relationship with God. Yet, a relationship implies a certain give and take, and there is precious little in the Torah that talks about what we have that God could possibly need. What can we give to God?
Tearing a Hole in Being
At the end of Parashat Emor, a disturbing incident is related. In the heat of a fight, a man curses God and is stoned to death for blasphemy (Leviticus 24:10-23). It is understandable that readers may be repulsed by this narrative, and shocked and angry to find it in the Torah.