PJ Library & the Gift of Jewish Books
I am an illustrator and/or author of books for children, many of them for URJ Books & Music. Because I am a storyteller, I thought I would – you guessed it – tell the story of how my book Noah’s Swim-A-Thon came to be. Once upon a time, I lived in the suburbs with three young children
My Father’s Daughter, My Mother’s Faith
Every year, Father’s Day falls within days of the anniversary of my father’s death. A lifelong smoker, he died of complications related to lung cancer when he was only 45 years old. I was just 10 years old, and that year, Father’s Day came just one day before his death.
Galilee Diary: Sustainability
When the Holy One Blessed be He created the first humans, he showed them all the trees in the Garden of Eden, and said to them: See how wonderful and pleasant are my creations! Everything I created – I created for you.
Cause for Celebration in Israel: Tu B'Av, the Jewish Festival of Love
When I moved to Israel, it was easy for me to forgo some of the holidays that I grew up with in America that I knew had a distinctly non-Jewish origin. It was also a pleasant surprise to discover other holidays here that unite Israelis across the spectrum – such as Tu B’Av, also known as the festival of love.
Galilee Diary: Periphery
And you shall also take a chieftain from each tribe through whom the land shall be apportioned for you… From the tribe of Asher: a chieftain, Ahihud son of Shelomi. -Numbers 34:18, 27
Galilee Diary: Balancing act
Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid… -Micah 4:4
Galilee Diary: Echoes
You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt. -Exodus 23:9
We fight world Jewry as one has to fight a poisonous parasite... -German army manual, 1939
A Prayer for Peace in the Aftermath of Terror
by Rabbi Joe Black On Sunday evening, I participated in a prayer vigil at the Aurora Civic Plaza. Many people from around the country saw the proceedings live on national television. From my perspective, sitting on the dais, the scene was somewhat surreal.
Blessings Beyond Borders: An Interfaith Tale
Last Saturday evening I was given an opportunity to be part of a truly wonderful celebration - the Sweet 16 party of a very special young woman. As I explained to the guests gathered there that evening, this was an evening of firsts for me.