What Can We Learn from the Pfeffermans?
Most people have at least heard of Amazon’s groundbreaking television show, Transparent, which along with transgender actress Laverne Cox of Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black and movies such as Tangerine, are pushing transgender stories from the margins into the mainstream. But to single out Transparent simply for highlighting a topic that’s still taboo in most of the television world is to overlook the other half of the show’s DNA – its significant reliance on Jewish themes and customs to weave its tale. It may seem an arbitrary combination, as the show is based in part on creator Jill Soloway’s own Jewish family and transgendered parent, but advocacy for LGBTQ rights has a long history among progressive Jews.
How We Engaged Older Adults and Transformed Temple Life
There are 550 lifelong learning programs like ours across the country, but what sets us apart is that all the others, to the best of our knowledge, are attached to a college or university. TILLI may be the first one connected to a religious institution.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Notorious in a Good Way
In Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a lively look at the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, co-authors Shana Knizhnik, a law student, and Irin Carmon, a reporter for MSNBC, mix chatty
When the Rabbi's Kid is the Bar Mitzvah Boy
“So what’s the theme of your son’s bar mitzvah?” It was such a simple question that it’s difficult to explain exactly why it stumped me. How was it that, when I was on the other side of the table, I had no idea how to respond?
How Emojis Helped Me Fulfill a Mitzvah - Yes, Really!
The act of bikur cholim, visiting the sick, is considered a mitzvah (good deed) – and yet, because of distance I couldn’t visit my friend. I wondered: What could I do, each and every day, to send caring wishes?
10 Ways Working at Jewish Summer Camp Will Transform Your Career
The Courage to Advance Authentic Judaism in Israel
Thirty years ago this month, a modern-day Jewish hero was freed from prison. Back then, it never would have occurred to me that Natan Sharansky and I would become colleagues. Today, nonetheless, I am honored and proud to count this man – who has inspired generations of Jews around the world and engendered goodwill even in politically complex scenarios – within my circles. Ours is a relationship borne of a personal bond that began while he was still a Soviet prisoner.
Why Do We Ditch Decorum on Purim?
Once a year, through burlesque, Jews are given license to deviate from the rules and norms that helped their communities survive in the face of adversity. But ultimately, the disorder associated with Purim serves as a dramatic justification of the need for rules in our lives.
Prayer for an Open Heart
Many of us have had those moments – of sitting with others in synagogue or during a private moment – when prayer seems flat. The words don’t seem to reach us where we are at that time or place; they can’t lift us beyond our everyday worries and concerns. When I’m sitting in synagogue with my son, Akiva, I’m usually focused on his concerns.
Black Hat and Beard Optional: What Makes a Jew?
A rabbi with a black hat and beard once told me that a black hat and beard don’t make a Chassid, a pious Jew who goes beyond the law in fulfilling their duties toward others and God – and a specific gender doesn’t, either.