Sukkot: Festival of Voting Booths
Shabbat and the Blessing of Family
As a teenager in Flint, MI, most of my peers spent their Friday evenings at the movies with friends or at high school football games. When I told my friends why I couldn't join them, they were flabbergasted.
Jewish Summer Camp: Where Friends Become Family
In 1975, I was a little girl coming to URJ Camp Harlam,a Jewish sleepaway camp, following in my cousin’s footsteps. I hung on to her for dear life every time we passed each other in camp. Slowly I began to develop friendships with the girls in my bunk, loosening my tight grip on my cousin.
Hanukkah Reconsidered: A Split in the Jewish Soul
I grew up loving this holiday – until I learned the dark side and felt like a kid discovering that there’s no Santa Claus. It turns out Hanukkah is, in part, a tale of Jew vs. Jew.
Reclaiming the Public Square with Hanukkah Lights
According to Rashi, we light Hanukkah candles to “publicize the miracle.” What exactly is the miracle we’re publicizing – and what’s the best way for us to do so today?
How the Jewish Holidays Help Us Create a Better World
Each year, the voice that speaks to my soul about the contrast between the inward focus of Yom Kippur and the outward thrust of Sukkot grows louder and louder.
We're a Multiracial Jewish Family; We Don't Have the Answers, but Here’s a Place to Start
Including Jews of Color or multiracial families for the point of “checking it off the list” needs to bite the dust. Multiracial families do not want to be ignored, but neither do they want to be seen as a way to achieve some sort of board directive
Inspired 5781: More Art, More Awe
I grew up going to services. A lot of services. I was adept at counting the ceiling tiles, reaching into the thousands as my grasp of numbers grew more sophisticated. The melodies became part of my life soundtrack; I hummed them as my mind wandered during the rabbi’s sermon.
60 Years a Rabbi: What I Learned from My Rabbinic Mentors
Six decades have not diminished my appreciation of the rabbinic mentors who symbolically escorted me to rabbinical school and upon whose shoulders I stand.