September 16, 2026 | 5 Tishri 5787
This past year started out with the kind of news and phone calls we all hope will never come. When you hear that your husband has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, you never really know how you’re going to react. For me, because I’ve lived through it once before when my late husband was diagnosed with stage 4 […]
This year, I choose… menuchas hanefesh. This concept is a bit hard to translate. Literally, it means the resting or settling of the soul. It can be explained as tranquility of the soul, or a deep, centered calm within the self. The “Chovos HaLevavos,“and other sources I have been learning from, describe menuchas hanefesh not as a luxury, but as foundational to avodas Hashem (service of G-d). When I do a mitzvah, learn Torah, and interact with others from a […]
This year, I choose to say “yes” to new opportunities. Especially since I am now a senior at Nicolet High School, I am looking forward to new experiences before I leave for college. I said “yes” to an internship with the Milwaukee Admirals as a communications intern. Although the program hasn’t started yet, I’m very excited to learn more about how they run the team from […]
This year, I choose: Family. I recently finished shloshim after the somewhat sudden death of my wife, Debbie. We had been married 43 years – together for 44, and her greatest gift to me was and is my family. Debbie’s kids were 8 and almost 4 when I came into the picture. We had a child together four years into our marriage. All of these children are now grown-ups […]
The High Holidays will be here soon. They call us to evaluate the choices we’ve made and those we’ll make in the new year. For me, this question, this year, has particular meaning. For nearly three decades I have lived a Jewish life with my wife, family and community. My journey in Judaism has caused me to reflect deeply about what it means not simply to […]
On a beautiful April night, I sat down at a Milwaukee patio with my laptop and a mocktail. Soon after, a young woman waved me over. We’re both here alone, she explained. Come split my fries? We struck up a friendly conversation. Both of us had busy jobs. She liked to go out dancing. So did I. Two […]
This year, we choose to hear from you. Welcome to our Rosh Hashanah special section for 5787. This year, we asked a cross-section of people from our amazing community what they choose for the New Year. We didn’t give much guidance on what that means – we wanted to see what would come forward. The results have been really something. It was so fun to open each email coming in […]
There is a way of looking at Yom Kippur that could surprise you The Joy of Returning: Teshuvah as an Act of Hope Many of us approach the High Holiday season with a sense of heaviness. We think of confession, judgment, and the ways we have fallen short. Yet Jewish tradition offers a surprising image of […]
Kitchen-tested in Glendale – a make ahead dessert that travels well Rosh Hashanah is a time to gather with family, reflect on the year that’s passed, and welcome a sweet new beginning. Apples and honey have long been cherished symbols of the holiday, representing the hope for a year filled with sweetness, joy, and abundance. While a classic apple cake has earned its place […]
“Everything that we’re doing at WITS is all about kindness, all about giving and helping people.”
– Rabbi Dovid Brafman, Wisconsin Institute for Torah Study
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