by Rabbi Deb Smith This past week, I had the pleasure of attending a Jewish Journaling Group for the first time. The group is sponsored by The Jewish Heritage Museum of Monmouth County, New Jersey. This is a wonderful museum that I toured last summer. It features exhibits, photos, and memorabilia from throughout Jewish history Continue Reading »
by Michalee Merritt Shavuot means “weeks” in Hebrew and marks the conclusion of the Counting of the Omer. It also commemorates the date when G-d gave the Torah to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai. What do we do on Shavuot? We have all-night study sessions. (Chai Mitzvah has some great materials for you) Chai Continue Reading »
by Audrey Lichter Let me say at the outset, I am not a fan of moral ambivalence. I do believe that there are certain fundamental truths that we should aspire to. Lately, though, I’ve been struck by how little appetite we have for nuance and complexity. We say, for example, that religion teaches love and Continue Reading »
by Nina Fondiller Woldin The Sunday before last was Mother’s Day, and we spent it with our kids in Hoboken – eldest daughter, son-in-law, and two wonderful grandsons, aged 9 and 5. We spent the day at an Israel Fair featuring rides, activities, delicious falafel, and even Druze delicacies. Imagine this… we are standing at Continue Reading »
by Rabbi Debra Smith Our most recent Chai Mitzvah Mussar class explored the topic of gratitude, specifically hakarat ha-tov (recognizing the good). We discussed ways that we can remember the good things that people have done for us throughout our lives and how we can honor that tradition by giving back to others, even the Continue Reading »
by Michalee Merritt JAHM (Jewish American Heritage Month) is a national celebration of nearly four centuries of Jewish American history, heritage, and culture. JAHM provides an opportunity to lift up the powerful, joyful, and true stories of Jewish life in America. There are so many ways that you can explore Jewish American history. Join Chai Continue Reading »
by Audrey Lichter I’d like to reflect for the moment on a very special person… special to me personally and to Chai Mitzvah. Scott Shay is our founder and Board President. Along with a distinguished business career, he is a prolific and profound thinker and writer. The author of 3 books, each ahead of its Continue Reading »
by Nina Fondiller Woldin Today is Day 8 of the Omer. If you began the 10XSTRONGER 10-Day Challenge on Day 1, you would have done Day 7 yesterday. The 10XSTRONGER 10-Day challenge is flexible. You don’t have to begin it on any specific day, and you don’t even have to do it on consecutive days Continue Reading »
by Nina Fondiller Woldin What makes a place home? I am currently wandering across the country as I do every Passover season – driving in my camper van from New York to family in California and then to more family in Denver. I can’t help but see parallels to the Israelites in the desert. This Continue Reading »
by Audrey Lichter Life is messy, complicated, and overwhelming. Try as I might to understand contemporary issues, I am overwhelmed by so much information and mostly by so many opinions about the information. I have taken to reading biographies of famous Jews in an attempt to gain some understanding of their lives and contributions and Continue Reading »
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