COVID-19

Home desk setup with Torah study displayed on the screen

How to Observe Shavuot from Home This Year

C.E. Harrison

May 5, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted so much of how we engage Jewishly, but Shavuot is a fantastic holiday for families to celebrate from the safety of their homes. Here are a few ways you and your family can observe this rich, festive Jewish holiday this year.

Yellow alarm clock fading away at the edges as if to represent the passage of time

Jewish Learning

The Omer: Finding Hope and Wisdom in the Counting of Time

Rabbi Allison Berry

April 1, 2021

Counting is never more important than between Passover and Shavuot; we call this ritual counting the Omer. Each day we recite a blessing marking that this period of time is meant to be one time of reflection, revelation, and change.

Marc and Karen Rivo smiling in the streets of Safed

Israel Travel

Ending Our Year of Yearning for Israel: Our First Trip Back After Being Vaccinated

Karen and Marc Rivo

March 16, 2021

As Israeli citizens living abroad, we may now return to exercise our right and responsibility to vote in upcoming elections. Absentee ballots aren't available to us, though, so we had to return- though the logistics require persistence and patience.

Bowl of charoset with almonds on top and a whole apple in the background

Passover

Lessons from Charoset During a Year of Pandemic

Rabbi Julie Zupan

March 10, 2021

As we enjoy this year’s sweet charoset, let us cherish and express our gratitude for the essential workers, medical professionals, everyday heroes, and others who provided the sweetness that helped temper the bitters we tasted this year.

Strengthening Congregations

Pandemic Passover, Take Two: The Long Journey through the Wilderness

Rabbi Rick Jacobs

March 2, 2021

Last Passover began the urgent quest to reinvent much of Jewish life, highlighting that some of the ways we “do” Judaism needed to be updated. This year has been a powerful catalyst to shifts in how we perform our holy work.