A Hanukkah Tradition From My Christian Mother-in-Law
Sometimes we create our own traditions, sometimes we carry on a tradition we inherit, and sometimes a tradition can come from unexpected places.
What's Jewish about Getting a Colonoscopy?
Since celebrating my 50th birthday, I have enjoyed attaining many milestones: half a century of life, 25 years of marriage, the graduation of all three of our children, and the publication of my wife’s and my first book.
Kids’ Questions are the Antidote to the Pew Study's “Jewish No Religion” Category
In a world increasingly populated by people who the Pew Research Study's "A Portrait of Jewish Americans" designates JNR (Jewish No Religion), it turns out that if you ask Jewish mid
8 Ways to Celebrate Hanukkah that Don’t Involve Gifts
Taking Steps to Support Mental Health
Spain to Sephardic Jews: “Sorry, Please Come Home” - But Will They?
The expulsion of the Jews from Spain on July 31, 1492, occurred on the same day as the destruction of the first and second Jerusalem Temples.
Reform Movement Congratulates Rabbi Lynne Landsberg for Her Disability Rights Advocacy
The Hidden History of "I Have a Little Dreidel"
Samuel E. Goldfarb penned “I Have a Little Dreidel”, while his older brother composed “Shalom Aleichem.” To use a Christian equivalent, it would be like having one brother write “Jingle Bells” and another compose “Silent Night.”
Forgiveness and Reconciliation with the Past
Many years ago, I taught an adult education class on biblical heroes. Among those we studied was Joseph. We focused on Parashat Mikeitz and discussed Joseph’s contentious relationship with his older brothers and their later reconciliation.
What It's Like to Be a Maccabee in Maine
My sisters and I grew up in Central Maine, where my family was one of a small handful of Jewish families scattered in this remote, wooded corner of the diaspora.