My colleagues and friends and I boarded a train to Baltimore on Friday, May 1, on our way to a march and rally organized by Jews United for Justice.
The Relationship Between Prayer and Your Imagination
When the words of liturgy are taken too literally, the sacred power of prayer is often lost. In his latest book, Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman offers a way worshipers can transcend the limitations imposed by language.
A Playlist for the Omer: The Journey from Liberation to Revelation
We find ourselves in the midst of the Omer, when we count off the days, and weeks, in between Passover and Shavuot. Last week, we celebrated the 33rd day of the Omer: Lag BaOmer. The journey begins with our liberation from Egypt. It concludes with the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.
Is All Hope Lost? Seeking Peace, Love, and Understanding
In the spring of 2000, I spent a few weeks in India. Upon my return, a non-Jewish acquaintance, who was raised in South America, asked me what it was like to be surrounded by so many people who are "abominaciones de Dios" (abominations of God).
Revisiting Operation Moses
Police brutality. Racial profiling. Abuse of power. These phrases are ripped from the headlines of the past week's newspapers in response to a video, gone viral, showing Israeli police officers beating an Ethiopian Israeli soldier.
Parashah B'har and the Elusive Goal of Liberty for All
In vain I searched the Internet for the words from Yitzhak Rabin seared into my memory but apparently forgotten by Google among his more famous speeches.
Travels in American Jewish History
Dr. Gary P. Zola, executive director of the American Jewish Archives (AJA), organized a trip in 2000 to Charleston, S.C., for a group of adults interested in the firsthand study of American Jewish history. Under Dr.
Beyond Cheesecake: Social Justice on Shavuot
Over Memorial Day Weekend, Americans will be honoring the lives of those lost in service to their country. This weekend is also known as the celebration of the symbolic beginning of summer (often with barbecues and white pants, sometimes a dangerous combination). And, coinciding with Memorial Day Weekend this year is the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, the Festival of Weeks, when we celebrate the giving of the Torah at Sinai (and cheesecake).
No Matter What the Supreme Court Decides, We’ve Already Won
I often think about how fortunate I am to live in this period of time when social justice for the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) community is advancing at such a rapid pace.