Hanukkah: More Than Just Presents?
Rise up Maccabean Style for Rights of the Disabled
These Playlists Will Keep You Rockin' All Hanukkah Long!
This Hanukkah, Light One Candle for the Rohingya People
Crises often continue long after they disappear from the headlines, and the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya people in Burma is no exception.
Be a Lamplighter: A Reflection on Newtown and Darkness
I have a bunch of blog posts brewing in my head, but felt like I couldn't write anything until I wrote about Newtown. But, what could I say? What can I say?
The Tzedek Box: A New Way to Hold Yourself Accountable in the Pursuit of Justice
Marilyn Monroe's Prayer Book is Up for Auction
The upcoming auction of Marilyn Monroe’s personal prayer book is making news. The siddur contains many pencil notations in the margins from when she was learning about Judaism
My Homeland, My Self, part 1
Israel is the new frontier of Reform Judaism. Since the 1990s the number of Progressive/Reform congregations and minyanim has doubled from 15 to 30, many of them served by native Israeli rabbis ordained at our Movement seminary in Jerusalem. Five thousand families send their children to Reform-affiliated schools, and last year a record 50,000 Israelis attended Progressive High Holy Day services throughout the country.
B'haalot'cha: This Passage Is Out of Place
This week’s Torah portion, B’haalot’cha, begins with the instructions for the lifting up of “the lamps,” haneirot, to illuminate the Tabernacle. The initial letter of the word, “lamp,” neir, is nun.
5780: Our Annual Rosh HaShanah Sermon Roundup
Typically, at some point in my work on this project, my wife will lean over my shoulder and ask me, in her own style, “So. How are the Jews this year?” Some years that is a difficult question to answer. This year the answer is clear: The Jews are afraid.