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.
New Beginnings: Tu BiSh’vat and Environmental Action
In this moment of transition, we will celebrate a different kind of new beginning: Tu BiSh’vat, the new year for trees. Tu BiSh’vat is an opportunity to celebrate the earth and to recommit ourselves, for another year, to environmental action.
The Quiet Message: How Parashat Yitro Teaches Us to Lead
Between two massive thrusts of Jewish history, between Exodus and Sinai, stands a little old man named Jethro, who taught Moses to lead.