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?
A New Approach to Camp Recruitment
Our younger youth look up to their older siblings wearing camp t-shirts at the congregational “Camp Shabbat” and wonder – what’s this all about? Learn how one congregation designed an integrated program that gets the kids writing letters home during the school year.
It’s Hard to be a Jew at Christmas, But Even Harder on Tu BiSh’vat
It is a truth universally acknowledged that it can be difficult to be Jewish at Christmas time. It has seeped into North American cultural consciousness so thoroughly that South Park even wrote a song about it, complete with trademark expletives.
How PJ Library® Helped Our Congregation Engage Families with Young Children
Double Booked Through the Lens of JDAM: The High Price of Autism
This post originally appeared on June 3, 2014 as part of the RAC's blog series, Double Booked: A Conversation on Working Families in the 21st Century.
JDAIM 2016: Finding the Hidden Holiness in Our Communities
As Jews, we know all people are created in the image of God, but seeing that Divine presence doesn’t happen simply because we wish it to be so. It takes intentionality to view each person, regardless of his or her differences, as unique and holy.
A Conversation with Leonard Nimoy: The Vulcan Talks Judaism
The New Social Network that Can Enrich Your Congregational Toolkit
Our congregations are sacred communities comprising groups of people who connect to each other through a common set of beliefs and interests. These commonalties enable us to create communities, build temples, and share our Jewish traditions and culture through the generations.
Breakfast with Fahim
Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household…When Pharaoh summons you and asks, "What is your occupation?" You shall answer, "Your servants have been breeders of livestock from the start until now, both we and our fathers" - so that you may stay in the region of Gos