If Anne Frank Had a Gun
I am often asked why Jews went like sheep to the slaughter during the Holocaust. The question falsely assumes it was possible to resist, but Jews failed to do so.
Suffering in Silence: Jews, Therapy, and the Stigma of Mental Illness
I was 20 when I learned that my first love had committed suicide. His death shattered me, both mentally and emotionally – but it also saved my life. You see, in the months leading up to his suicide, I had been planning my own.
In Afghanistan, I Started Praying Before I Traveled
In 2005-2006, I worked in Afghanistan, and to get to work, I had to travel on one of the most dangerous roads in the world. This is when I started praying for safe travels.
The Best Gift My Parents Ever Gave Me
I cite my parents’ decision to raise a Jewish family as my gift of a lifetime because of the astronomical impact it has had on my life thus far.
Using Our Heritage to Find a Cure for Parkinson's Disease
April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month, and – in honor of the one million people living with Parkinson’s disease in the United States – I want to share my story.
The Missouri Reform Jew Who Contributed to Israel's Founding
President Truman’s prompt recognition of the state of Israel in 1948 might not have happened without Eddie Jacobson, a little-known Reform Jew from Kansas City, Missouri.
There's More Than One Way to Spell Shalom
More than peace, shalom means well-being, health, wholeness, and prosperity. How can we achieve this precious blessing in our lives – for our loved ones and ourselves?
How Reform Synagogues Welcomed Immigrants, Refugees, and Asylum-Seekers This Sukkot
Congregations from coast to coast welcomed immigrants, asylum-seekers, and refugees to be guests in their sukkot and to share their stories. Here are a few reports from congregations that held these moving events.
Greene Family Camp and Temple Emanu-El Rally to Help Families Impacted by Dallas Tornadoes
On Sunday night, the Dallas/Fort Worth area was hit by severe thunderstorms, including multiple confirmed tornadoes, which devastated parts of Dallas and the surrounding communities and directly impacted members of the Jewish community.
What Noah and His Ark Taught Me about Being "Good Enough"
When we can’t be Moses or Esther or whomever we want to be like, it’s OK – it’s necessary, even – to be Noah. Being “good enough” may not have the same glamor as leading an entire people to the Promised Land, but do you know what being “good enough” accomplished? In Noah’s case, it meant being trusted by the Holy Blessed One to literally start the entire world from scratch.