In the Light
A couple of days ago, synagogues – and churches – around the world kept their lights on through the night. On the 84th anniversary of Kristallnacht – the “Night of Broken Glass” – light penetrated the darkest time in our people’s history, in the history of humanity. Conceived of by Israel’s Religious Kibbutz Movement, the […]
It’s a Privilege
Privilege. Its inherent meaning has gotten a bit lost recently, covered and camouflaged by the negative connotation affixed to it by younger generations. Economic privilege – social privilege – racial privilege. For some, they’re thoughtful considerations of how one’s demographics factor into our lives’ good fortunes; for others, they’re automatic indictments of an unjust, unequal […]
Yom Kippur, 1973
I was all of nineteen, and had been back from my “gap year” in Israel for a little over a month and a half – which meant that I was still missing my friends from an extraordinarily intense year. On top of the very human aspect of missing people, I missed pretty much everything else […]
It’s so much more than money
It was almost lost in a quick turn of the page (yes, I still like ink-on-your-fingers, old-school newspapers). The headline was a little too long for 21st century readers, so I imagine that quite a few chose – in the one and a half seconds of decision-making time now allotted – to skip to something […]
Parenting at 30,000 Feet
It was like something out of a bad sitcom – or the beginning of a romcom in which the protagonists end up loving each other after they spend the first ninety minutes yelling and smirking at each other. It turns out that it was neither – there was no laugh-track, and the mother of the […]
What It Takes
Two thoughts. This was my third time – three and a half, if I count the tine my family drove from Los Angeles to Chicago for a cousin’s wedding – a trip my thirteen year-old, California-centric self had described as “going to the East.” Three and a half times back-and-forth across the continental United States, […]
So Much More Than a Fast Day
Out of sight, out of mind. Sometimes. Jewish life is so directly connected to the Jewish calendar, that we too often do not internalize the significance of a holiday – which itself usually commemorates an historical event – unless we celebrate it with family or the larger community. Summertime is a wonderful break from our […]
Three Legs
Now that I’m experiencing triple digit temperatures, I know that summer is upon us (I mean, really upon us). As someone who has led nearly thirty (I started young) trips to Israel, many of which took place during the summer; and as a former resident camp director; I know the power of those two incredible […]
Time to Celebrate
I have Frontier Airlines to thank for it. Instead of traveling for fifteen hours for a four-hour flight, I opted for one more night in Cleveland and a non-stop flight the next morning. Unbeknownst to the trying-to-be-helpful agents, the consolation prize was not going to be a travel voucher; it was being able to attend […]
There Is So Much More
If I had kept my eye on the calendar, it would not have been that much of a surprise; pulling into the J’s very full parking lot for a morning meeting should also have given it away. But it took walking into the JCC that morning, where I had to dodge a phalanx of eager […]