Related Blog Posts on Jewish Values and Secular Holidays

arnow_exodus
Jewish Values

Choosing Hope in Times of Trial

David Arnow
From Covid and climate change to the erosion of democratic norms and the decline of a shared sense of truth (and the list could go on), two things are clear. First, are we living in an age that tests our ability to sustain hope. Second, if despair dominates hope, we will be unable to meet the challenges that beset us.
Dasee Berkowitz family Hanukkah menorahs
Jewish Values

Reimagining Hanukkah Gift-Giving

Dasee Berkowitz
There are a lot of creative ways to make Hanukkah meaningful when we pause to ask ourselves a few good questions before automatically going into shopping mode.
Hand holding cell phone with icons visible
Jewish Values

Cultivating a Shmita Mindset with our Screens

Dasee Berkowitz
Limiting the time we are on our devices and setting an intention about what we do there are small steps that can alter our relationship to the digital world. By committing to these changes in our day-to-day lives, we can more readily guide our kids to do the same.
Aron's family
Secular Holidays

My Father Was a Quiet Man

Aron Hirt-Manheimer

My father was a quiet man. He was not one to engage in philosophical or political discussions. He did not tell people what to think or how to live.

Had Pop left me and my sister an ethical will, it would have emphasized love of mishpucha (family).

soldiers graves with American flags
Secular Holidays

Make Memorial Day Count in 2021

Rabbi Tracy Kaplowitz, Ph.D.

On Shavuot, the holiday when we celebrate receiving the Torah marks the completion of counting the omer, we are reminded of the historic and nation-altering moment our ancestors experienced in the desert when God revealed God’s self.

Home desk setup with Torah study displayed on the screen
Shavuot

How to Observe Shavuot from Home This Year

C.E. Harrison
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.
mothers day
Mother's Day

Being a Mom in an All-Woman Family

Aron Hirt-Manheimer
June and her partner, Betsy, adopted two girls from Guatemala and raised them together until Betsy died of cancer four years ago. June talked with me about the great joy she felt in fulfilling her dream of becoming a mom and the challenges she and her teenage daughters faced after suffering such a tremendous loss.