by Audrey Lichter Having just returned from nearly a month of travel in India and Portugal, I had intended to write about the historical experiences of their Jewish communities. In India, Jews lived peacefully among their Hindu neighbors for centuries. They built beautiful synagogues and prospered in the land. The ancient community of the Cochin Continue Reading »
by Kendra Walz In a little over a week, the Jewish holiday of Purim will arrive; a holiday about Jews and Persians, self-expression in identity, and survival. As Purim approaches, I cannot help but reflect on a film premiere I attended recently at the Israeli Film Festival held at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. The film Continue Reading »
by Jennifer Saber With a heavy sigh, I let my phone drop into my lap. I caught myself red-handed doomscrolling. Again. I feel deflated, like my self-esteem just took another virtual beating. Just now my Facebook feed served up the winner of an award I didn’t win, a family vacation my family would never take, Continue Reading »
By Rabbi Debra Smith This is definitely a month to think about trees and the environment. We recently celebrated Tu B’Shevat, the New Year of the Trees. This has gotten me to think about what a favorite or memorable tree story might be for me. I have always loved trees, and moving to Florida, I’ve Continue Reading »
By Nina Fondiller Woldin It was 11 degrees when I woke up this morning. I can stand on the ice in New York Harbor, but today I am celebrating the beginning of spring! Not because I am counting the days until the ice thaws, but because, like Yehudah Halevi, my heart is in the east. Continue Reading »
by Nina Fondiller Woldin It’s 4:30 in the morning, and I am wide awake! I am enveloped, like a cloud, in worry. I visit different solutions in my head, but none of them guarantee success. All of them remind me of how I could have done better – planned better, reacted better, solved my problem Continue Reading »
By Jennifer Saber I live with regret. A 35 plus year old regret. When I was in elementary school, my childhood synagogue, Park Synagogue in Cleveland, Ohio, loaded up buses and headed to Washington, D.C. for an event connected to Soviet Jewry. All these years later, what I remember most is not the cause, which Continue Reading »
Audrey Lichter, Chai Mitzvah’s Executive Director, was interviewed on The Orthonomics Podcast by host Mark Trencher. It’s a great half-hour listen! The Orthonomics Podcast explores issues of importance to the Orthodox Jewish community, through the dual lenses of data – drawn from a wide range of sources – and informed conversations with knowledgeable and often Continue Reading »
By Rabbi Debra Smith I visited the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg this past week. The museum had a special exhibit on the life and work of Elie Wiesel, who has been a longtime hero of mine. Years back, I had the pleasure of seeing Elie Wiesel honored at the North American Choral Festival Continue Reading »
by Nina Fondiller Woldin My birthday is on December 30th, the day before New Year’s Eve, which gives me twice as many reasons as most people to reflect on the past year and to try to prepare for what might be coming in the year ahead. It feels as if my personal passage intertwines with Continue Reading »
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