Leaving Lucy Pear
Award-winning novelist Anna Solomon’s second novel Leaving Lucy Pear, now out in paperback, is a masterfully woven web of ambition and lies.
The Dollmaker of Krakow
Young adult Holocaust narratives aren’t too hard to find. Prisoner B-3087, Refugee, and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas are among the many novels striving to broach a challenging subject for a teen or tween audience. Because children and teens were profoundly impacted by the events leading up to and during World War II, sharing a story from their point of view is a natural entry point for a reader of the same age.
Building the Temple
Who Should Teach About Hanukkah and What Should They Be Teaching?
Now that my daughter is in preschool, I've come to realize that hearing about cultural and religious practices directly from the practitioners only emphasizes our otherness.
A Satisfaction Survey for the Jewish New Year
As we turn to the start of a new Jewish year, perhaps we can be inspired by the all-too-familiar customer satisfaction survey to evaluate our spiritual lives.
Shabbat in Netanya, Israel: The Israeli Judaism We Need
This is liberal Judaism on the edge: Flinging doors open wide to those who would otherwise be left behind. The community is a voice of Judaism that is open to all who seek it.
Life Lessons Learned on the Basketball Court
Now a Jewish professional, my basketball experiences were formative. Skills in motivation, mentoring, management, and interpersonal relationships cultivated on the court impact my Jewish work.
How Summer Camp Helps Create Communally Engaged Jews
When big news develops during camp, campers and staff have space to explore the issues and share perspectives openly in communities of mutual Jewish concern.
Mishkan HaLev: Trying Out the New Selichot Service
Selichot is the overture for our High Holidays, a chance to focus on meaning, tradition, faith, and striving to reach that spot in the heart where no one else can go.
Wrestling with God’s Violent and Destructive Hand
In this week’s parashah, even as one of God's hands reaches out to liberate the Jews, God's other, largely invisible hand brings death and plagues upon the Egyptians.