A Town of Empty Rooms
In an essay for the New York Times, author Karen Bender writes about how both writing and reading helped her develop her sense of compassion:
A Horse Walks into a Bar
A snail is attacked by a couple of tortoises. When later questioned by the police, the bewildered mollusk replies, “It all happened so quickly.” Here’s another: There is this man whose parrot is excessively foul-mouthed.
Soviet Daughter: A Graphic Revolution
In her graphic novel, Soviet Daughter: A Graphic Revolution, Julia Alekseyeva uses grey scale watercolor to bring warmth and individuality to an often-harrowing tale of three generations of a Russian immigrant family.
My Jewish Trip to Washington, D.C.
Things really can change in 35 years. That was my reaction to the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., which I visited I was in the city participating in the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism’s L’Taken Social Justice Seminar.
My Saturday Morning Minyan: A Quiet and Holy Current
Black tights. Black dress. Careful makeup, a touch of jewelry, and heels. A hooded raincoat, to stave off the gusty downpour.
A 16-Year-Old's Epiphany at the Western Wall
This past November, I traveled to Israel as part of a NFTY delegation team in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Women of the Wall.
Why I Love Havdalah
On a recent Saturday at my synagogue, we paused in an evening program to make Havdalah.
Jewish? Want to Stay in Israel? Prove Your Birthright
All Israelis know someone who has attended a Taglit-Birthright Israel trip. This free, 10-day trip to Israel encourages young Jewish people to strengthen their Jewish identity and solidarity with Israel. The program sends more than 40,000 young Jewish adults to Israel each year
Galilee Diary: Red Tide
We come to our Homeland in order to be planted in our natural soil from which we have been uprooted, to strike our roots deep into its life-giving substances, and to stretch out our branches in the sustaining and creating air and sunlight of the Homeland...
Lotan and Yahel, Pioneers in the Desert
Of all things I love about Israel, I think there is one umbrella that captures most of them: The opportunity to live out, on a daily basis, a life of idealism. I know that’s possible anywhere – but it doesn’t happen everywhere.