Tuesday morning, members of nearly 20 Jewish organizations came together with representatives from a number of congressional offices to learn about the importance of Medicaid for individuals with disabilities. Read More »

by Samantha Dresser For the last five summers, I’ve been part of the URJ’s Kutz Camp community in Warwick, NY, where approximately 200 teens from all over the country come together for intense leadership training, Jewish living, celebration and fun. Read More »

by Rabbi Ben David Here is the quintessential Jewish question: How do we emulate God? We are told that we were created by God. We are told that we have a divine spark within us. We are told that each one of us, like God, has the power to create worlds, to perform acts of abounding goodness, to bring greater peace to our world. Read More »

After I posted my first entry, a reader asked if the continued process of grieving for Mitch would form the substance of this blog. I reminded of my intention to post about my personal spiritual journey and contemplations. Read More »

by Dana Rosenbloom, M.S. Ed. Each August early childhood program teachers, and teachers of all ages, keep an eye on their mailbox or their inbox for the roster of children who will be in their class the coming year. Read More »

“We have gathered up human particles and combined them into the fruitful and creative nucleus of a nation revived.” This is how David Ben Gurion described the way that the State of Israel evolved in our own time. We are part of the revival. Through our liturgy and our calendar Israel is ever present. Read More »

by Benjamin J. Dubin Some 35 years ago my wife, Esther, gave birth to an adorable girl, Rachel. It was not until Rachel was three that we knew she had a hearing loss. Then, at the age of five, Rachel lost all her residual hearing. Esther, a coronary care nurse, took a break in her career to be with Rachel and to be her ears when necessary. Read More »

By Wendy Grinberg Back when I lived in Atlanta , my single girlfriends and I would get together for Rosh Chodesh celebrations. It was a wonderful time to get together, devote time to one another, acknowledge our spiritual and psychological growth and challenges, and just show each other some love and support. Read More »

by Susan Wiener I can still remember the day, my daughter Tracey ran into the house and announced my neighbor, Nancy, would like Jacob to be Adam’s mitzvah project for his bar mitzvah. Before I could even open my mouth and scream NO, my father, who was visiting, quietly said “be nice, say ok”. I swallowed my words and said “ok”. But it wasn’t. Read More »

We stood at the sea Until the waters parted Midrash tells us why The first to step in Nachshon Ben Aminadav Then G-d split the sea Nachshon’s leap of faith Showed the courage leaders need Going first is hard Read More »

“Sure, we can afford to order pizza for the kids for dinner when I am feeling at my lowest from chemotherapy. We could call Domino’s and in no time there would be a pizza on the table. But my kids already know that Domino’s delivers! I am so grateful that the members of my congregation bring meals for our family. Read More »

by Paula Krone and Michael Faber Like most parents, from the time we gave birth to our son, we had many hopes and dreams for him. We wanted him to have a good education, have friends and grow up to live a happy and prosperous life. Read More »

Today is the 1 st day of the second year following the death of my son, Mitch. It is also the date upon which I had committed to beginning a Blog about my spiritual journey and contemplations. This morning, God provided one of those Invisible Lines of Connection of which Larry Kushner writes to prove that this is the right day. Read More »

by A.G. Inclusion has always permeated my entire relationship with my temple, Congregation Kol Ami. My very first conversation with Rabbi Shira Milgrom was about inclusion. Twenty-one years ago, I was faced with a dilemma. Read More »

I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. -Ecclesiastes 3: 12-13 Coming back from an outing to Tel Aviv, we got on the9: 22to Acco. Read More »

by Cindy Singer My name is Cindy Singer. November 6, 1996- a day that my son, Dylan was born with familial dysautonomia (FD), one of 19 devastating Jewish Genetic Diseases (JGD’s). It is a day that will forever be remembered as one of the saddest days of our lives. Read More »

The first temple, in Jerusalem, was built by King Solomon, after God deemed his father, King David, unworthy of the task. Nonetheless, a dozen member congregations of the Union for Reform Judaism have deemed King David worthy enough to name their temples after him (although none explains on its website the reason for their choice). Read More »

By Rabbi Vicki Tuckman With great excitement, tinged with a touch of trepidation, I moved to Israel in the summer of 1996 to begin my first year of rabbinical school at Hebrew Union College. There was so much to learn those first few months, from how to pay the phone bill (which, mind you, was in Hebrew!) to buying groceries at the local Supersol. Read More »

by Michele Holtz I remember when I was first diagnosed with Bi-Polar Disorder. I was shocked and upset and depressed and crying. But in a way I was also relieved. There was a name for what I was feeling, for what I was doing. Depression is a part of the disorder and I was really depressed at times. Read More »

by Rabbi Edythe Held Mencher, LCSW Each member of the Sisterhood group had been asked to bring something that expressed or reminded them of their relationship to Judaism and their congregation. Read More »