Girls go to the Western Wall
This past February, we took 16 8th grade students from Congregation Beth Elohim on a trip to Israel. With little explanation of the politics, and in the context of aliyah l’regel, or religious pilgrimage, we took them to the Kotel to put notes in the wall and to pray.
Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut: The Juxtaposition of Extremes
A Prayer in the Aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombing
Our God who dwells in the highest heights and in the souls of our feet:
We find You in the passion of those who delight in testing and celebrating the power of their bodies:
A Prayer for Those Affected by the Boston Bombings
Author of life
Source and Creator,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To the victims of the bombings in Boston,
Visiting Israel with Young Children
My baby, Alana, is 25 years old. When she was almost 5, our family visited Israel. This was the children’s first visit. Friends advised us to leave our three young children at home. "They will be bored," "They won’t have anything to eat, "You are wasting your money," they implored. We ignored their entreaties.
Shattered Glass from Carolina to Boston
The sound of glass shattering. Smiles and cheers. That was on Saturday night as Dan and Lauren officially became husband and wife.
"It's Personal": Scenes from Israel on Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut
Galilee Diary: In the Memory Bunker
Monday was Memorial Day for the fallen – in the Israeli army, in the pre-state undergrounds, and in terrorist attacks. It is the day before Yom Ha’atzma’ut (to emphasize the connection), and is observed through ceremonies in schools and other public institutions, cemetery visits, and speeches by politicians. The sense of loss is immediate and inescapable as there is no one who does not have a connection of family, friendship, work, or neighborhood with at least one of the 23,000 fallen.
All of Us Are Boston Marathon Runners
Running the Boston Marathon is a dream of mine. It’s the nation’s oldest marathon, a symbol of endurance in the city of American freedom. Yesterday terrorists turned that symbol and city it into a day of desperation and death. We know how to cope with tragedy. We survived 9/11. But that truth does not help us make sense of it. Running a marathon is not easy. It demands certain qualities of character. Those same qualities can help us today. They give us perspective and coping tools for the days and weeks ahead.
There’s No Cheating in Baseball!
June 19, 1846 – In the first baseball game played under modern rules, the “New York Nine” defeated the New York Knickerbockers at Elysian Fields in Hoboken, N.J., by a score of 23-1.