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: 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: 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
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.
Making Meaning of Tisha B’Av Through the Lens of Literature
When you have come into the land
that the Eternal your God is giving to you as a heritage,
and you have possessed it and settled there,
you shall take from among all the first fruits of the ground
that you bring forth from your land-
Speaking Out for Religious Pluralism in Israel
“Freedom of Religion in Israel” was the message on the signs held up today by Reform, Conservative, and secular Jews in front of the office of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate in Jerusalem.
The Importance of Challah
This week’s Torah portion includes the story of sending the scouts to Canaan and a number of laws about sacrifices and communal and individual wrongs.