A Myriad of Paths to Involvement

When you grow up in a very small Jewish community like the one in Rhode Island where I grew up, you don't have the luxury of choosing which Jewish activities to be involved in - if you are not supportive of all of them, they will not exist. So my parents and grandparents were involved in the…

Do you also have Sukkah envy?

There's a story told about Franz Rosenswieg, the founder of the famous Lehrhaus, where Jews engaged in serious study of Jewish culture. When asked if he laid tefillin, Rosenswieg replied, "Not yet." This is kind of how I feel about a lot of Jewish observance - there are obligations that I've…

Come take The Next Step

I am always hopeful during the Ne'ilah, or concluding service of Yom Kippur. Not just that there will be enough orange juice and kichel left in the social hall, but that this will be a good year and that I will have the energy to live up to the new goals and expectations I've set for myself.…

Where the worlds of Synagogues and Federation meet

I hope all of you had meaningful Rosh HaShanah experiences this year. I saw someone on Facebook compare Rosh HaShanah to Thanksgiving – family, being grateful and football – and it was a good weekend for the Jets and the Giants as well as what I hope is a good start for all of us!

One o…

The Voice of Jewish Women

This is a time in the Jewish year where we look again for inspiration from the tradition. In addition to turning to the machzor, the High Holiday prayer book, I have made a practice of adding a new book of Jewish prayer or thought to my library. This year, I purchased A Jewish Woman's Prayer…