Whenever I meet new people, and they discover my level of observance, I get this comment: “Wait, you do X? But you’re not Orthodox!” Which is, of course, true. However, last I checked, Orthodoxy has not co-opted Jewish ritual and observance. One of the most meaningful mitzvot I observe is kashrut – keeping kosher. Here … Continue reading » . Read More »

Ok, let’s clear the air: A) “REFORMED” is an adjective. “REFORM” is a verb or a noun. Definition of REFORMED: 1: amended by the removal of faults or abuses. as in, “Criminals and drug addicts can be reformed.” 2: (initial capital letter) noting or pertaining to Protestant churches, especially Calvinist as distinguished from Lutheran. Read More »

I’m reposting this because it’s awesome, and I ran out of time to write an original post. It’s a 60 Minutes segment on the company Malden Mills, who developed the fabric Polartec. It’s owned and operated by Aaron Feuerstein. The interview with him about the fire that ravaged their factory, and their ultimate bankrupcy filing, [...]. Read More »

I read a whole bunch of blogs, and I really like the way Penelope Trunk writes. She’s straightforward and refreshingly honest. Read this post she wrote about trying not to work on Rosh Hashanah – I guarantee it will give you something to think about. It’s not my cup of tea, but I’d love to [...]. Read More »

Cross posted with slight modifications at Out of the Ortho Box – thanks for the opportunity Ruchi! My Rebbetzin-comrade-in-arms Ruchi wrote this post last week. In it she describes some Jews who say, ” Why do I need to worry about all these commandments? I’ll just be a good person and not bother others. I [...]. Read More »

A friend posted this comment on this blog post. I think it’s a lovely sentiment to remember that this is a holiday the almost all Jews around the world celebrate, whatever their affiliation or lack of affiliation, beliefs or lack of beliefs, religious or secular. For this week, let’s put aside our differences and stop [...]. Read More »

I’m running behind, but last week’s parashah (Torah portion) was Va-ye-tze (“and he went out” – referring to Ya’akov/Jacob). One of the most famous parts of this parashah is Ya’akov’s dream – a ladder extending up into Heaven with Angels of God going up and down it. In this dream, God affirms for Ya’akov that [...]. Read More »

I’m writing this post from my iPhone. Because I can : -) I’ve missed you people. I’m going to try to get my act together and write more. Ciao for now, EK [gratuitous pic of my kids and dog in their Halloween costumes]. Read More »

First of all, I am FINALLY, sort of, recovering from the havoc that was the chagim.  Ack. Gotta love CafePress.  Found these a while ago, and just posting now because, well, I’ve been “on a break” [gratuitous 'Friends' reference.]  I posted this a long time ago on an old blog, and thought I’d resurrect this [...]. Read More »

My boy turned 11 today!!  As is our family tradition, the birthday child gets to pick their dinner.  Asher picked a family favorite that we reserve for special occasions: Burger Bar.  Burgers, with every topping imaginable, including what our butcher calls “breakfast beef”, which is basically his version of beef ba*@n.  He cures and smokes [...]. Read More »

So, I do not commemorate Tisha B’av the way many of my more observant brothers and sisters do, but I do mark the day in my own way.  Along with praying for the unity of the Jewish people, I have an annual freak-out of “OH-MY-GAWD-HIGH-HOLIDAYS-ARE-6-WEEKS-AWAY-AND-I-HAVEN’T-COOKED-A-THING-YET!!!!” Let the planning commence.. Read More »

One of the biggest blessings of our life is our commitment to our community and being with them through times of of joy and sorrow.  We love our community so much, and it is a privilege to be with them and support them at brisses, weddings and funerals.  We have become a part of their [...]. Read More »

I saved this quote from my friend, Ruchi Koval, who posted this as her FB status a while ago, and thought it was appropriate during this time.  Oh and by the way, Ruchi, meet Melissa and Jessica, and M&J meet Ruchi.  Check out each other’s blogs – I have a feeling you’ll like each other [...]. Read More »

We are changing school districts, and we had an agent come to the house recently. My son Asher has informed me that he does not want to change houses and he’s “never leaving” our current house. My question is, does including not only appliances but also a 10 year old boy increase or decrease the [...]. Read More »

The conversation went like this: LEV: “There was this girl at camp, and she called everyone either ‘ghetto’, ‘not ghetto’, or ‘thinks they’re ghetto’ It was very weird Mom.” ME: “What did she mean by that?” LEV: “I know, right?  It was weird!  When I asked her what she meant, she said, “You know, someone [...]. Read More »

A meme from Homeshuling: What I’d like to accomplish this summer: have as much fun as humanly possible blitz the house – get rid of at least half of the crap taking up space here get the house ready to put on the market (we’d like to change school districts) walk/swim a lot a lot [...]. Read More »

Overheard: ASHER: “I’m going to tell Mommy you’re not helping and she’s going to get you in trouble!” LEV: “No she won’t; she never gets involved in these things.” ASHER: “You’re right. I’ll have to kick you instead.” LEV: “You always resort to violence!” ASHER: “I guess you’d better start helping with the chores then.” [...]. Read More »

Our wonderful dog trainer, Rachel Friedman of A Better Pet, LLC, gave my cat Jack a present this week: a quilt that has catnip quilted right into it.  Let’s watch what happens: These quilts will retail for about $40-$50 from A Better Pet, LLC, and will include a bottle of Catnip Spray to refresh the [...]. Read More »

From the Forward – food for thought! One seder tradition we have is for karpas, we put out a bazillion different kinds of karpas with different dips to nosh on while we forge ahead with the seder.  Usually alleviates ‘cranky-child-syndrome’ that is common to many seders : -) What are YOUR seder traditions?. Read More »

I’ve decided to obnoxiously co-opt the phrase “Out, Loud and Proud” to describe how I’m currently feeling about the Jewish denomination with which I’ve consciously chosen to affiliate. I’m proud of the strides our movement has made in the last decade to look back at our history and learn from it, and move forward.  I’m [...]. Read More »