Choosing Judaism: Why One Grandmother Made a Public Commitment
Last fall’s tragedy in Pittsburgh finally prompted Linda North, now known as Ruth bat Avraham v’Sarah, to set a date for her conversion to Judaism.
When Your Child Teaches You About Revelation
Life can strip our ability to stand in awe. When the rent is due, the refrigerator is bare, relationships run us ragged, we struggle to find space for the extraordinary.
Bearing Witness Today: Delayed Grief and Yom HaZikaron
3 Questions to Ask on Israel Independence Day
All discourse around Israel can be boiled down to three questions that can help us frame our approach to the country as we celebrate its independence.
How To Make Your Own Cheese in Celebration of Shavuot
Jill Zenoff, a Jewish environmental educator and chef, won top prize at this year’s Cheesemonger Invitational. In advance of Shavuot, a dairy-heavy Jewish holiday, she talks about home cheesemaking and her favorite Shavuot recipe.
How I Teach My Kids That Being Jewish is Awesome and Awe-Filled
Last year, my pre-school-aged daughter was acutely aware that her friends and their families would be celebrating Christmas and that she wasn’t going to be a part of it.
My Year in Israel: Pain, Possibility, and So Much More
I call Israel the land of a thousand emotions because, regardless of the day, the country always evokes a kaleidoscope of feelings in me.
Celebrating Layers of Meaning on Simchat Torah
On Simchat Torah, I watch as the Torah scroll is carefully unfurled onto a series of long connected tables – the text so much more than designs scattered on parchment.
It’s a New Year, So Ask Lots of Questions
Questions are the lifeblood of learning and there is no better time to ask them then now.
How Trope Strengthens Our Connections to Torah
In Parashat B'reishit, we are introduced to “text painting,” a basic method of trope that uses melody directly connected to the meaning of the words.