What Can We Learn About Elul From the Lone Ranger?
Earlier this week, we marked the first day of the Hebrew month of Elul when it is customary to take stock of our actions and behaviors in an effort to do better in the year to come.
Seeing Through the Darkness: Inside Charlottesville’s Synagogue One Week Later
May we continue to be inspired by Congregation Beth Israel to turn darkness into light, to turn fear into resolve, to turn xenophobia into acceptance, and to turn hatred into hope.
In Charlottesville, the Local Jewish Community Presses On
After the nation moves on, we will be left to pick up the pieces. Fortunately, this is a very strong and capable Jewish community, blessed to be led by incredible rabbis.
The Mandela Plot
Adolescence, otherness, and Apartheid make a literally explosive cocktail in National Jewish Book Award winner Kenneth Bonert’s new novel, The Mandela Plot. Half hyperbolic adventure and half historical fiction, Bonert elevates his unlikely hero, Martin Helger, to almost mythic status, while reminding readers both of South Africa’s Jewish diaspora and the horrors of Apartheid.
Responding to Narrowness With Strength and Courage
Last night, in both Phoenix and Jerusalem, those who benefit most from the status quo rallied to defend it, vilifying those seeking change and social progress.
What are the Best Colleges for Jewish Students?
Headed to college this fall or thinking about what schools to apply to when the time comes? Either way, The Forward's first-ever college guide is a great place to start.
What's It Like to Be an Israeli Soldier at an American Summer Camp?
The madrichim are authority figures, to be sure, but their task pales in comparison to the army. It’s a huge cultural shift
7 Ways to Boost Your Congregation’s Engagement with Israel
As Israel marks 70 years, here are seven ways (one for each decade!) to engage your congregation in celebrating the country and her people -- now and throughout the year.
9 Ways Reform Teens Are Leading the Way
Reform Judaism’s young people are stepping forward as leaders -- using the values of our tradition to speak truth to power and promote tikkun olam, repair of our world.
What I Learned from My “Lost Passover”
Two years ago, for the first time ever, I didn’t attend a seder. A virulent infection was poisoning my body and I was fighting for my life.