The Chai Mitzvah Blog

Counting the Days to Make the Days Count

Posted on May 4, 2026

by Nina Fondiller Woldin What’s on your to-do list today? I write a list almost every day. Crossing off tasks gives me a feeling of accomplishment, and adding to the list as the day goes on helps me make sure I don’t forget anything. My list today is packed with activities that need to be Continue Reading »

Too Many Choices, Not Enough Clarity

Posted on April 27, 2026

by Audrey Lichter Senator Ben Sasse is facing pancreatic cancer. In the midst of that reality, his focus hasn’t turned inward—it’s turned outward. He speaks about his love for his family and his country, and about the larger issues we often avoid: the impact of AI on jobs and the economy, our obsession with national Continue Reading »

Rosh Chodesh Iyar: Healing, One Step at a Time

Posted on April 20, 2026

By Jennifer Saber  I am writing this blog just after returning from Poland, where I had the privilege of being a member of a March of the Living delegation.  March of the Living is an annual educational program that brings participants to Poland to learn about the Holocaust by visiting historic sites and bearing witness Continue Reading »

Discovering Freedom

Posted on April 13, 2026

by Kendra Walz A week before Passover, I was sitting at my dining room table with a whiteboard, writing down a grocery list. I had some ideas for new recipes this year – I had just gotten a pink crockpot as a Hanukkah gift at the end of last year and wanted to slow cook Continue Reading »

Things to Talk About with the People You Love

Posted on April 6, 2026

by Nina Fondiller Woldin I started in early March, sending Afikoman presents and books about Passover from Amazon to three of my grandchildren who are 2,843 miles away. I texted another daughter, who is 1,821 miles away (possibly more than once 😂), asking where she and her fiancé were going for seders. I discussed with Continue Reading »

New and Renew

Posted on March 30, 2026

by Audrey Lichter Every Passover, a few days before the Seder, I find myself knee-deep in preparations and suddenly panicked. My husband leads the Seder; unlike me, he usually leaves the format and any last‑minute additions until the last moment. Despite my fretting, each year the telling of the story touches me in a new Continue Reading »

NOTHING LACKING, STILL UNFINISHED: What an Unfinished Sculpture in Florence Taught Me about Seeing the World Differently

Posted on March 23, 2026

by Jennifer Saber “Go see the David.” A close friend (a world traveler and lover of art and history) didn’t hesitate for a moment when I told her I was visiting my daughter studying abroad in Florence, Italy. “Make sure you go see the David.” So I texted my daughter. “I was told we MUST Continue Reading »

Faith and the Market Economy

Posted on March 15, 2026

by Kendra Walz I recently read an academic article entitled The Baha’i Faith and the Market Economy by Farhad Rassekh. Baha’i is a religion that began in Iran, and the Baha’i World Centre is a beautiful temple that sits on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. It is one of the many important religious and cultural Continue Reading »

Searching By the Light of a Candle

Posted on March 9, 2026

By Nina Fondiller Woldin Yesterday, I spent three hours cleaning the parts of my stove that can only be cleaned when it is moved away from the wall. Why am I telling you this?  Because Passover is just over three weeks away, and I want to remember that while much of our preparation for Passover Continue Reading »

The Ground Keeps Shifting

Posted on March 2, 2026

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 »

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