Remembering Emma Lazarus, A Legacy in Reform Liturgy
Most people, if they’ve heard of her at all, connect Emma Lazarus to the most famous phrases of her sonnet, “The New Colossus,” written to help raise money for the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal fund in 1883. But poems she translated and composed before that generated another kind of legacy.
My Alphabet of Failings: A New Ashamnu
Each year on Yom Kippur, I join my congregation is reciting the Ashamnu, an alphabetic acrostic of sins for which we repent. And each year, it occurs to me that most of the sins named in the Ashamnu don’t hit me in the heart I’m beating – and so, I wrote my own version of the prayer.
How the High Holidays Are Like a Charles Dickens Tale
Whether you prefer the 1843 book or any of the many movie versions made since, there is no question that Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is a classic.
Now, despite the season for which Dickens wrote it, A Christmas Carol is a Yom Kippur story if there ever was one.
Yom Kippur Wasn't Always the Holiday It Is Now
As the summer passes its midway point, rabbis begin to think seriously about the coming Days of Awe.
What Matters Most to You at the End of Life?
Ninety percent of people say that talking with loved ones about end-of-life care is important, yet only 27% have done so. Have you had this conversation?
To See Spirituality Every Day, Look to Martin Buber's Teachings
Spirituality thrives in homes, offices, and synagogues, hiding in plain sight -- in small talk, and in extended conversations. Jewish thinker Martin Buber called this spirituality “I-Thou.”
Ethical Demands Are Essential for Israel's Success
For most Israelis, Jewish identity is primarily national, ethnic, or ceremonial, while ethical values are seen as obligations for all, with no connection to Judaism.
How Connecticut's Jewish Farmers Exemplify the Power of Philanthropy
Failing in his attempt to influence the Russian government to ameliorate its policies toward Jews, one man began financing their mass emigration.
9 Principles to Help You Engage Jewish Youth
These nine guiding principles to engage youth were developed by numerous congregations and synagogue professionals in our collaborative work with them. We share them with congregations and use them to inform our own ongoing efforts to develop new camps and year-round programming.
Jews and Campaign Buttons: A Time-Honored Tradition
During the last 100 years, political parties and commercial button makers have designed buttons to attract the votes of American Jews.