The House by the Lake: One House, Five Families, and a Hundred Years of German History
On the outskirts of Berlin lies the charming lakefront community of Groß Glienicke, where locals and summer visitors enjoy swimming, boating and fishing. Nestled among the medieval village’s structures is the lake house where author Thomas Harding’s grandmother once lived.
Treyf: My Life as an Unorthodox Outlaw
In her memoir, Treyf: My Life as an Unorthodox Outlaw (New American Library), food writer Elissa Altman, who also wrote Poor Man’s Feast, deftly uses kashrut – Judaism’s dietary laws – to portray, both literally and symbolically, the toxic relationships in her dysfunctional Jewish family.
Leon Klinghoffer's Legacy to the World
Leon Klinghoffer’s claim to fame would have been his invention of the Roto-Broil Rotisserie Oven had he and his wife not taken an ill-fated, anniversary cruise.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Noach: Electing a Righteous Leader
Almost everybody knows the story of Noach. God tells Noach that there is going to be a flood that will destroy all living things, and it’s up to Noach to build an ark in order to save his family and repopulate the Earth.
What Does God Require of Us?
With simple, everyday acts, I can keep alive the memory of our ancestors’ encounter with God and help perpetuate it into the future.
How to Create Meaningful Mitzvot Opportunities for B'nai Mitzvah
Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park, PA, began its journey in the pilot cohort of the URJ’s B’nai Mitzvah Revolution by asking our eighth grade families one question: What could we have done to better prepare your family for your child’s bar or bat mitzvah?
Learning Lessons From and With God
In many ways, Parashat Noach is filled with as many theological problems as answers. Chief among them is why after creating the world and all living things, God destroys "all that lives under the heavens" (Genesis 6:17). The reason that God gives is the "violence" or "lawlessness" (chamas) of humankind. Yet what about such godly virtues as patience, love, and forgiveness? Apparently, God possesses less of them than one might wish. Does saving Noah, his family, and a male and female of all living species in order to ensure continued reproduction make up for God's actions? Is saving them a sign of mercy or of pragmatism?
Providing for All in Need of Healing
One of my favorite aspects of Shabbat is the opportunity to pray for all those in need of healing. The Mi Shebeirach prayer is our community’s way to ask for strength in the face of adversity.
Remembering our Impermanence: Sukkot and Congress' Continuing Resolution
“All citizens of Israel shall live in booths, in order that future generations may know that I made the Israelite people live in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt” (Leviticus 23:42).
Coming Together Against Anti-Semitism: What Will You "Go to the Wall" For?
More than 300 residents, clergy, law enforcement, civil servants, and community dignitaries joined at cemetery of Temple Beth Shalom, which was desecrated with signs of hate – swastikas and rhetoric embraced by Nazis