Techina Cookies
My husband introduced me to techina (tahini), a staple found in most Israeli kitchens, as soon as we made aliyah in 1992.
How Shabbat is Like a Snowstorm
This morning I met again with my usual cohort of Jewish clergy who study sacred texts together each week in the coffee shop.
The Music of N’ilah – Part One
By Cantor Barbara R. Finn
Why Is Challah So Beloved by the Jewish People?
9 Ways to Celebrate Lag BaOmer from Home
What's Real about a Virtual Shabbat Service?
Frankly, I was skeptical about attending services online – but it was the occasion of the yahrzeit (anniversary of death) for my wife’s brother, and this was our only option for respecting her wish to recite the Mourner’s Kaddish with our Jewish community.
How I'm Finding Blessings Amid the Separation
As challenging as these days of quarantine have been, I take comfort in the many ways this strange time of separation have enabled us – however ironically – to come together. Here are a few of the “blessings of separation” I’ve experienced in the age of COVID-19.
April Showers, May Flowers, and Searching for Hope Amid the Pandemic
We see everything around us through a coronavirus-colored lens these days, searching the past for clues about what is to come. This month, I'm using the rhyme about April showers and May flowers as an occasion for hope, seeing every holiday in May as part of this unfolding pandemic.
Pandemic in the Petri Dish of Prison: A Jewish Call for Justice
The Book of Proverbs instructs us to “speak up for those who cannot speak...to raise our voices on behalf of the vulnerable and downtrodden.” (Proverbs 31:8-9). The individuals who make up America’s prison population are isolated, vulnerable, and voiceless.