What Will It Take for the World to Offer Women Full Equality?
Nearly 40 years ago, I stood on the bimah as a bat mitzvah, the first young woman in my family to celebrate my Jewish coming of age. Its significance was totally lost on me, however. Having been raised to believe that both boys and girls could pretty much do anything they wanted, what was the big deal, I wondered.
How to Craft a New Worship Style in Brazil
The daily mincha/ma’ariv service at CIP was being led by the congregation’s cantor, Alexandre Edelstein, who also was my host and colleague during my four-day visit in June to Brazil as part of LaShir B’Nefesh, a program that brings together soloists, musicians, and cantors of Brazilian, and occasionally Argentinian, Reform communities to share repertoire, network, and support one another in their work. I was in Sao Paulo to present a master class on strategies to engage the congregational voice – something the Latin American communities, both leaders and worshipers, are interested in developing.
My Year in Israel: A Rabbinical Student’s Social Justice Start
So far, my time in Israel has been filled with more questions than answers. One of the things I’m most excited about this year is the opportunity to live in Israel, to experience daily life here, and to ask as many questions as possible (and learn to be comfortable living without easy answers). My experiences here so far have given me a taste of what Progressive Judaism in Israel looks like.
My Love Affair With The Torah: A Women’s Commentary
It began as many new relationships do: I was curious but tentative. How would this new entity fit into my life? Did I really need it? Could I make room for it in my over-stuffed brain and on my increasingly crowded bookshelves? I received The Torah: A Women’s Commentary as a gift during my fourth year of rabbinical school at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.
Immigration Takes Center Stage
Over the past several months, immigration has once again become a major topic of discussion in the public square and in Congress.
Racial Justice Resources for the High Holidays
When Winter Storm Jonas hit D.C. in January, we were eagerly looking forward to the balmy, humid temperatures of the D.C. summer. Now, with August already upon us, the summer will sadly be over soon.
Hey, God, the Joke’s on You!
Jewish humor loves poking fun at God. Although often gentle, jokes about God attempt to break the tension around the very human desire for a perfect God – one who hears our wishes and responds by making them come true. Such a “fairy Godmother” God has been problematic throughout time (and throughout Jewish history) because more often than not, our wishes don’t come true – at least not in the way we hoped they would. As the Yiddish proverb reminds us, “Man plans. God laughs.”
New Film Portrays Norman Lear as America’s Conscience
Noman Lear: Just Another Version of You is a celebration of the life of a remarkable man. The behind-the-scenes insights into his famous shows are compelling, but it’s his later role as the conscience of America that’s the real takeaway.