Havdalah Square
A few weekends ago, I brought 20 congregants, mostly of the teenage variety, to New York City for a "Jewish New York" experience.
Presidential Proclamation: Jewish American Heritage Month
In his second year in office, President George Washington wrote a letter to the Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island - one of our Nation's first Jewish houses of worship - and reaffirmed our country's commitment to religious freedom. He noted that the Government of the United States would give "to bigotry no sanction [and] to persecution no assistance," and that all Americans are entitled to "liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship." Those words ring as true today as they did then, and they speak to a principle as old as America itself: that no matter who you are, where you come from, or what faith you practice, all of us have an equal share in America's promise.
Beautiful Jewish Song, Beautiful Jewish Meaning
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Alfred & Adele Davis Academy, Atlanta’s Reform Jewish Day School, has produced Be a Blessing, a 13-song collection of original Jewish music.
At His Untraditional Bar Mitzvah, A Son With Autism Leads The Congregation
A piece of my soul died when we decided that my son Ben’s autism would necessitate a reexamination of a conventional bar mitzvah service.
The Torah In Haiku: B'har / B'chukotai
Just like the Omer
Count seven sets of seven
Then, something special
For Omer, it’s weeks
After counting forty nine
Time for Shavuot
Growing up in Hebrew - in Manhattan
Max, my only grandchild, had his first birthday recently. He lives with his parents in Manhattan and – trust me on this – he is perfect in every way. Since he was born, his mother, my daughter Adina, has spoken to him only in Hebrew. (Her husband talks to Max primarily in English.)
Galilee Diary: Neighbors
From the top of the mountain I see him, from the hills I behold him; a people that dwells alone, not reckoning itself among the nations.
–Numbers 23:9
Let the #Torah Tweets Begin!
For a people with just one God, we Jews sure do a lot of counting.
Three patriarchs, four matriarchs, six days of creation, eight nights of Hanukkah, 12 tribes, 40 years in the desert, 70 years in a life - 80 if we’re really robust. You get the picture…
Attending Tikkun Leil Shavuot for the First Time
I have never attended a Tikkun Leil Shavuot, a community gathering to study Torah all night on the holiday of Shavuot. This year, that will all change! On the evening of May 14, I plan to attend an all-night (or most-of-the-night) study session for Shavuot at my synagogue.