Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month is Here!
Jewish Disabilities Awareness and Inclusion Month (JDAIM) is here, and the number of communities and organizations around the world that participate in this awareness effort is growing! I’m excited to share some new resources with you.
Love: The Secret to Sparking Desire
Real love is informed by knowledge. When we truly love others, we strive to know and understand them. As our knowledge deepens, so does our love.
How One Man Hijacked America’s First Refugee Resettlement Plan
After their liberation from the Nazis, my parents were reunited in a displaced persons camp. I was three when our family received visas to America.
How My Daughter Persevered on Her Bat Mitzvah Day
As Netta’s mom, I maintain balance between others accepting Netta for who she is – a child who has medical and developmental needs – and holding expectations high.
7 Tips for Starting a Congregational Recycling Program
Our role as custodians and stewards of God’s earth is to protect and preserve the ecology and environment as best we can.
Praying With My Feet: Seeing Myself as an Activist
After doing half an hour of work – during which time I received a few more calls to action through email, Facebook, and Twitter – I asked myself: Why don’t I think I’m the kind of person who would show up? Who is?
A Letter to My Mother on Her First Yahrzeit
Psalm 23 is traditionally recited during funerals, shiva visitations, and Yizkor ceremonies. Although this psalm talks about God, I think about it this morning and see it under a completely new light. Today, I think it talks about you.
How Braille Put Jewish Texts at My Fingertips
When I was 7, my parents ordered a braille prayer book for me from the Jewish Braille Institute. When I went to the synagogue with them, I proudly carried my siddur and tried to read along – but I didn’t yet know the Hebrew braille alphabet.
LGBTQ: Focusing on the "T" in Synagogue Life
In 2014, Congregation Kol Ami in Elkins Park, PA, hosted a “Kindness Counts” conference focused on welcoming LGBTQ Jews to the community. Recently, a small group of congregational leaders decided it was time for a second gathering, this time focusing on inclusion of trans and non-binary Jews in synagogue life.
It’s Time to Rise Up
In 2009, during my first year as a rabbi, I wrote a song called “Rise Up.” I wrote it as a celebration of the teachings of the Biblical Prophet Amos, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Theodor Herzl.