Our Interfaith Family and the New Year
As we’re preparing for our first Rosh Hashanah with our 8 month old son Solomon, I can’t help but to pause and wonder how my husband and I got here? My husband, Matt, is not Jewish, and from an early age I was encouraged to only date Jewish men.
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.
Reflection of the Days of Awe
I love this time of year; Fall setting in, the ending of one year and the beginning of another. It never hurts to reflect on the past year and make a resolve to be the best person you can be moving forward. Although Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur have record synagogue attendances, personally, we’ve been a bit different in how we observe the High Holidays year-to-year
Galilee Diary: Attunement
Sure enough, last week I saw the first chatzav flower of the season – which was actually sort of surprising, as it's been several years since the last leap year, so the holidays are "early" in the solar year this year.
A Familiar Conversation with a Family Twist
It's a conversation I had had hundreds of times in my 44 years as a Jewish educator. However, this time was different: It was with my son.
Visiting When Someone in the Family is Ill
When we visit the sick, it is our job to be present, kind, and ready to listen, all of which can be more challenging if the person we are visiting is part of our family.
Emotion and Intellect: The High Holidays in Our Tradition
One of the most distinctive dimensions of the High Holy Days in our tradition is that among the major observances of the Jewish calendar, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are experienced primarily in the synagogue.
Why Children's Services Appeal to Me, Even When I Go Without Children
Say what you will, but I prefer the Rosh HaShanah children's service to the adult one. It's a little under an hour, and it's lighter on the lengthy recitations of the full evening service.
Jewish Resources for Remembering September 11th
This year, our remembrance of the terrible tragedy of 9/11 falls eerily during the Yamin Noraim, the Days of Awe between Rosh HaShanah and
This New Documentary Tells the Story of an Israeli Trans Woman and Her Family
The film chronicles the challenges that Amit, her former wife Galit, and their children endured during Amit’s gender transition.