We are in the series of holidays that can be called the “Holiday Triangle.” We are looking at the time from Thanksgiving, to Christmas or Chanukah, and finally, to New Year’s Eve. The holidays come so effortlessly in succession that we can completely miss the opposite side of their celebration. We have embraced this […]
For the Jewish people to endure, we need different approaches. In our diversity, we can find strength. It’s why I’d be loath to critique the Conservative position as recently expressed by some of their greatest modern leaders (“The Conservative movement can, and should, welcome the intermarried”). They counsel that “rabbinic officiation at weddings is and should […]
It was exactly one year ago that people visited me to talk about their 2016 presidential election anxieties. They spoke of their fears regarding what could happen if their favoring party were to lose and how that might have a direct effect on our life. The endless negative campaign commercials constantly instilled negative thoughts […]
Arthur James Balfour (1848-1930) held many posts in the British government, including prime minister (1902-05) and foreign minister. Even so, contemporary British journalist Harold Begbie wrote that Balfour “has said nothing, written nothing, done nothing, which lives in the heart of his countrymen.” But Balfour is one of the non-Jews who lives in the […]
When it is time to consider assisted living, we may not have choice in what our physical or cognitive limitations are, but with knowledge and planning, we can have choice in how we live and where we live. This seems pretty obvious, but what you don’t know about paying for in-home care or assisted living […]
With summer behind us, many families have for the very first time, sent a daughter or son off to college. This is normative and expected, but often a challenging and stressful time of transition within the family life cycle. But herein lie opportunities for family members and relationships to be transformed. Specifically, this is […]
JERUSALEM – In July, five leaders of the virulent BDS groups Jewish Voice for Peace and American Muslims for Palestine were barred at Dulles International Airport from boarding a flight to Israel. The move reportedly was the result of an amendment to Israel’s Law of Entry denying admission of senior activists of leading BDS organizations to […]
MADISON – In March, the Israeli Knesset passed a law that denies entry to foreigners who support the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, or BDS. At the time, the law felt so insidious because it introduced a political litmus test designed to exclude those who object to Israel’s policies. It served to stifle legitimate […]
May 1, 2013. College decision day. I don’t think that when I made my decision to attend Marquette University my parents expected me to end up working for a Jewish non-profit four years later. They heard the comments (“You’re actually letting her go there!?”) but fully trusted me in my decision (plus the short […]
Yom Kippur starts in the evening of Friday, Sept. 29. Will you fast? How will you approach it?