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In this time of COVID-19, my mother will likely spend her upcoming 100th birthday sheltering at home with her caregiver.  I asked her how this tsura (tragedy) is different from the time of Hitler.

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.

Today especially
i am grateful for a life to call mine
the bright sunshine 
on a day we remember when millions died

To close out this year's observance of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, Reform Jewish teen leaders spoke with Holocaust survivor Ralph Rehbock to hear his story and talk about finding hope in times of darkness. 

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.

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.