by Nina Woldin JDAIM, Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month, begins this week. Established in 2009 by the Jewish Special Education International Consortium, JDAIM is observed each February. JDAIM was created to raise awareness and foster inclusion of people with disabilities in Jewish life. A unified effort among Jewish organizations and communities worldwide, JDAIM Continue Reading »
by Audrey Lichter We are all not doing well… Bravado aside, as I travel the country and speak to the “organized” Jewish community – Synagogues, Federations, JCCs, Day Schools – except for a very select few, we are all struggling for members, for the attention of the Jews. Covid fatigue takes many forms. For one Continue Reading »
by Nina Woldin While this coming Shabbat, January 21, is National Hugging Day, we like to think that every day is (Inter)national Hugging Day at Chai Mitzvah! Hugging has been described as a handshake from the heart. The simple action of embracing creates feel-good energy for both the giver and the recipient. National Hugging Day Continue Reading »
by Michalee Merritt What is the definition of Community? A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests and goals. From the Oxford language dictionary I began to think about all the communities that Continue Reading »
By Reb Deb At Services this past Friday evening right before New Year’s Eve, I asked my congregants what they hoped for in the New Year 2023. While it might have been phrased differently by each one who responded to my query, the common thread was that people hoped for a better sense of connection: Continue Reading »
Once upon a time in Kansas City, Missouri, the many members of a venerated Reform temple formed a large, happy community. It then happened that part of the congregation split away from “the mother ship” and formed a separate, smaller, but equally happy community in a suburb of the city called Overland Park. Following the Continue Reading »
by Michalee Merritt I am sitting and looking at all the hanukkiot (menorahs) at the end of my dining room table, right by the window. I think about how they grew from one menorah to five. My husband and I had one. When my daughter Hannah was born she was given a Winnie the Pooh Continue Reading »
by Nina Fondiller Woldin We light the first Chanukah candle on Sunday evening, December 18, so last week I found myself thinking about Chanukah – which translates as dedication – the rededication of the Temple after reclaiming it from our enemies. I was lucky to lead two Chai Mitzvah groups where we spoke about dedication Continue Reading »
by Jill Maidhof Would you go to a bank in which the employees will talk to you about your tennis game, your favorite recipe, the car you drive and the age of your children — anything, that is, except money, because that’s too personal, or too forward, or outside the bounds of polite conversation?? Contemporary Continue Reading »
By Reb Deb I have been thinking recently about how important “community” is in my life and how being part of different communities impacts my sense of well-being. During this season of gratitude, I want to express how grateful I am and how fortunate I feel to be part of the Chai Mitzvah community, both Continue Reading »
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