Getting to the Bimah in a Wheelchair
The bimah is the heart of a temple's sanctuary – a gathering place for life cycle events, the focus of our High Holiday worship rituals, and the site that draws us together when we seek comfort from pain.
In 2007, I was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis. In my case, it has lived up to its name, and has progressively weakened my body from the waist down, leaving me wheelchair bound. With the loss of my mobility, I also lost the ability to be called for an aliyah, to see the open Torah scroll, to participate in Selichot services, and to join with family and friends for birthday and anniversary blessings. For those of us unable to be on the bimah because of a physical disability, it is easy to feel left out of the Jewish community.
What an Atheist Belgian Musician Taught Me about Judaism
As a teenager, I would sit on my bedroom floor listening to old records of Belgian singer-songwriter, poet, and performer Jacques Brel. I didn’t need to keep a journal, because his lyrics wove together everything I felt at the time. Brel had a fire within, and his anger, longing, passion, and truth blazed through every word he sang. His music, raw and real, transformed and fed my soul; it informed and shaped who I am today.
How Not to Repent, as Taught by My Favorite TV Show
Season three of Transparent premieres September 23, and it couldn’t come at a more appropriate time: in the middle of Elul, the day before we begin reciting Selichot.
How to Open Doors to Connect Seekers to Jewish Life
Anyone can open the door to Judaism for another, but will those standing at the door be intimidating shomrim (guards) or welcoming mezuzot (encased Torah texts on doorframes)?
For Creation
Like this prayer, Rosh HaShanah, the birthday of the world, celebrates creation and the Creator.
10 Awesome Books for the Days of Awe (and After)
Here are 10 volumes, from the humorous to the humbling, that you’ll want on your reading list to help heighten the High Holidays.
Lessons I Learned on a Camping Trip with 20 Jews
When my congregation publicized its four-day camping and canoe trip in Michigan, how could we resist such an unusual temple offering?
The King Is in the Field: Lessons of Elul
Elul is our time to connect to Israel – for ourselves, for our people, and for our land.
Check out the RAC's High Holiday Guide on Criminal Justice
Each day in this country, we are faced with harrowing truths about how our criminal justice system operates.
When the Synagogue Doesn't Feel Like Home
I'm uncomfortable entering unfamiliar synagogues - solely because I am mixed race, and people assume that I am not Jewish.