Falling Stars and a Sense of Wonder
This week, I watched the stars fall.
It was actually the Perseid meteor shower. I woke up before dawn, drove away from the city lights, stood outside, tilted my head back, and waited.
Why ‘Princesses: Long Island’ Doesn’t Work
The debut season of Bravo’s reality show Princesses: Long Island has finally come to a close and I think it’s pretty safe to declare it a disappointment.
No Text is Worth a Life: A High Holidays Pledge
As we turn to thoughts of a new year and a new start, here is a pledge to refrain from texting while driving. Texting while driving is responsible for a quarter of all car accidents today, and is six times more dangerous than drunk driving.
To Be is to Stand For
My dear friend and former colleague Elissa Froman passed away in March from complications related to Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I first met Elissa when I began working at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in a one-year advocacy fellowship.
Preparing for the High Holidays... With Chocolate!
As we enter into the Jewish month of preparation prior to the High Holidays, Elul, I am thinking about the spiritual aspects of chocolate.
God's Whispers
I do believe that some of the time, God whispers to us in the same way that God spoke to Jonah. As I reflect upon all of these incidents, I realize that by paying attention to these divine whispers, I have leaned much personal Torah. I learned the following lessons.
Syrian Refugees
With more than 500,000 people displaced to neighboring countries by the violent civil war in Syria, the Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief (JCDR) has opened a fund to provide humanitarian aid to the refugees.
How Do You Inspire Trust?
As Jewish leaders, we are looked to as teachers, guides, mentors, advisers, counselors, and confidantes. People trust us; with their questions, with their challenges, with their significant moments, with their children and other cherished family members, with their spirits and with their so
Ending Gender Segregation on Israeli Buses
We are in the middle of the summer calm before we erupt into activity for Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. One fun part about the end of the summer is that we see a rush of new people coming into Jerusalem. Students flock to this city every August hoping to spend a meaningful year in Israel.