Learning Things We Never Knew We Never Knew

By Julie Blackman and Diane Lavenda

We want to re-acquaint ourselves with non-Jews. Somehow, over the years, the diversity of our friendships has narrowed. We want to open the silo doors and begin an interfaith conversation.

In early 2019, we (Julie, a social psychologist, and Diane, a cor…

Pulling Off the Near-Impossible

by Rebecca Hindin, Director of the Greater MetroWest New Jersey Day School Initiative

Like so many concerned parents and citizens, I have watched the conversations about school reopening unfold throughout the summer. Parents who are overwhelmed and overburdened, concerned teachers, school p…

We’re Helping Feed NJ Families in Need

By Tanya Simon

For the past six weeks, my husband and I have been volunteering once or twice a week with IsraAID, an Israel based international non-governmental organization in its efforts to assist with COVID-19 relief.

When disasters strike, IsraAID mobilizes emergency response teams —…

Access and Influence

By Rabbi Daniel Cohen, Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel, South Orange


This was my Shabbat message last week:

In the small section of if the Talmud known as Pirke Avot we read:
‎וְאַל תִּתְוַדַּע לָרָשׁוּת
Do not attempt to draw near to the ruling authority.

Elsewher…

The Passover Seder—A Curated Conversation

By Justin Sakofs, Director of Empowerment for Families with School Age Children

A few years ago, I had the privilege of reading Jewish plays for a competition. In doing so, I learned a great deal about the layout of scripts: the differences between stage directions and dialogue, scene descr…