Creating New Rituals and Tradition for the School Year and the New Year
For children, traditions and rituals are significant; they provide predictability, support, and familiarity, while bringing families together and creating unity and a sense of belonging.
How My Congregation Acts as a Family for Older Members without Relatives
Our synagogue runs a group for temple members aged 48 and up who are anticipating – or already experiencing – the challenges of growing older without family to rely upon for practical and emotional support.
We Are Family - Sandy Relief
Our Mental Health Initiative: From Synagogue to Sanctuary
As a rabbi, I’ve seen many lives effected by mental illness. I’ve also seen its stigma keep many from getting needed support. In my congregation, we sought to change that.
In It to Win It: Similarities Between Elul and the Lottery
Aside from a date, what can these two events possibly have in common? Strange as it may seem, there are a few points of comparison.
Cocktails, Colleges, and Comedy: 5 Jew-ish Headlines to Read This Week
Amidst political headlines and other stressful news of the sort, here are a few light-hearted, good-natured Jewish reads for the week.
JewV’Nation Fellowship Focus: Danielle Gold and Jesse Irizarry
Danielle and Jesse created focused young adult Jewish programming on the neighborhood level, calling it the Queens Jewish Project (QJP).
A Satisfaction Survey for the Jewish New Year
As we turn to the start of a new Jewish year, perhaps we can be inspired by the all-too-familiar customer satisfaction survey to evaluate our spiritual lives.
Mishkan HaLev: Trying Out the New Selichot Service
Selichot is the overture for our High Holidays, a chance to focus on meaning, tradition, faith, and striving to reach that spot in the heart where no one else can go.
How Can We Forgive the Unforgivable?
In theory, no one wants to be that person who can’t let go, who refuses the request for forgiveness. But is it really possible, or even right, to forgive everything?