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 I Became a Pioneer for Women's Equality at my Synagogue
Although my 13th birthday was in August of 1974, I became bat mitzvah in June of that year because my parents didn’t want me to worry about studying while at Camp Ramah in the Poconos over the summer.
Let’s start with a little historical context.
Comedy Helped My Catholic Family Embrace its Jewish Secret
I was born in 1961, baptized, confirmed and given First Communion. But when I was 9, my father began telling me bedtime stories about his narrow escape from the Nazis in Vienna, his entire family murdered – how my maternal grandmother was assassinated in my mother’s childhood home in Bremen, Germany, on Kristallnacht and how, by a miracle, my mother survived.
How a Rare Jewish Ritual Added Meaning to Our Family
When our son was born, we put a modern spin on the rare tradition of pidyon haben, using the ceremony as one way to welcome him to the Jewish community.
Where We Find the Best Stress Relief for Teens
Teens today are coming of age at a time of intense competition. The pressures they feel to be successful at school, in sports, in pursuit of their passions, in their social lives and in romantic relationships, as daughters and sons, and as leaders – are at an all-time high.
Attending L'Taken inspired me to run for - and win - a seat on my local board of education
Despite growing up in a Jewish household, it was not until high school that my Judaism really shaped my life’s path.
I Ran for a Seat on My Local School Board... While I Was Still in High School
When my term as youth group president ended, I was not ready to stop my social action and community building efforts, so I decided to run for the local board of education.
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.