At the End of Two Years
This Biennial is almost over but we’re just getting started. What a humbling responsibility you have placed on my shoulders; what a tremendous opportunity we have to shape the Jewish future with imagination, courage and commitment.
Re-Envisioning Alzheimer’s
Galilee Diary: Rain
Bless for us, O Lord our God, this year and all its produce. [From Pesach until the 6th of Cheshvan] Bestow a blessing on the face of the earth. [From the 6th of Cheshvan until Pesach] Bestow dew and rain for a blessing on the face of the earth.
Self-Care Is Not Selfish
A tale is told of a well-known 17th-century Chasidic rabbi named Zusya, who, when he died, went to stand before the judgment seat of God. As he waited for God to appear, he grew nervous thinking about his life and how little he had done.
Who Wants to Ride?
"Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world." -Jerusalem Talmud, Sanhedrin 4:1 (22a)
Cooking for Hanukkah
A brief history of the food traditions of Hanukkah from across the Diaspora.
Oy Tannenbaum!
It was over brunch on our fourth date when I told him, "This can't go anywhere...I’m Jewish and you’re not." After years of Jewish camp, Hebrew school and lectures from my parents, I was fairly certain that the eleventh commandment was “Thou shalt meet a nice Jewish boy, get married and have beau
Al HaNissim (For the Miracles)
One of the Hanukkah songs we sing begins with the words, al hanissim (for the miracles), and thanks God for all the miracles performed for our fathers, in those days, in this season (the last referring to the Hanukkah season).
Is It In Our Genes?
I caught her before her head hit the ground. It was close, though. She was about to get her blood drawn at a college screening for Jewish genetic diseases.