CATEGORY
A Bisl Torah
What Do We Need?
My mom and I began to discuss Thanksgiving, a favorite holiday among the Guzik family. Usually, the dining room is bursting with relatives, new...
Shameful Acts
As I have watched the election unfold, I have done exactly what I vowed not to do: scroll through Facebook and Instagram. And while...
Those Shtiebel Moments
A dear congregant gifted me a beautiful memoir about her father growing up in Poland during the Shoah. Prior to the onset of the...
Taco Tuesday
Our family members went around the table to discuss their favorite Jewish holidays. I love Sukkot. Our older children gave solid explanations for Hanukkah...
Is the Roof Falling In?
My husband, Rabbi Erez Sherman, and I developed a new routine upon entering and sitting in our sukkah. We look around, sideways and, eventually,...
Same Sukkah, Big Changes
Years ago, we inherited a beautiful sukkah from our good friends Cantor Arianne Brown and Rabbi Randall Brown. Next, we shared the sukkah with...
Ellipsis of a Lifetime
In speaking about relationships, my professor remarked, “With every first hello, there is an impending goodbye.” Meaning that with each birth, new connection, endeavor...
Thanks for Listening
May this High Holy Days season be one of meaningful prayer, engaging lessons, poignant revelation and strong connections.
A 6 A.M. Wake-Up Call
Our family is in possession of an abundance of shofarot. Many, many shofars. During quarantine, our children took up chess, learned to swim and,...
To Our Teachers
Some superheroes wear capes and fly through the sky. Other superheroes manage classes of anxious, excited and confused students during a worldwide pandemic. This...
The Missing Piece
Some people lose socks in the laundry. Others constantly lose their spare key. My family can’t seem to assemble a complete puzzle. No matter...
Dream a Little Dream
Right now, many of us are looking for a little hope. Share your dream so that someone else can find theirs.
Birthday in Quarantine
Five months ago, I never would have imagined celebrating a birthday during a pandemic. Five months ago, I never would have imagined planning for...
Love in the Time of Pandemic
This pandemic has nothing in the face of true love. Not by COVID-19, not by quarantine, not by masks, not by an abundance of hand sanitizer.
Cherish the Small Comforts that Bring Your Joy in an Unsettled World
But to brace ourselves for the ongoing struggle, we must find those comforts that nourish, replenish and restore.
Shielding the Pain
Sometimes the world is difficult. Sometimes we want to cry. Sometimes we just don’t know the answers.
Don’t ‘Opt Out’ in COVID-19 Times
Phrases like “opting out” or “taking a break” don’t exist when you see yourself as a spark of a greater light that penetrates the darkest corners of this world.
Lessons From the Delivery Man
The world is heightened with emotion. When someone sneers or complains, it can feel like a snag at the soul. When someone smiles or...
Do You Like Your Name?
What kind of name do you hope to gain in this world? Are you known as a leader, thinker, doer, source of compassion, gossiper,...
The Time Capsule
When we were kids, my siblings and I created a time capsule. We put in pictures of ourselves, favorite phrases and sayings of 1989,...
Tales of Gardening
Our family decided to plant a garden. For those who know me, I’m not a gardener. I enjoy purchasing roses of different colors and...
Ready to Change the World
When your child is in “Zoom school,” the silver lining is watching him or her participate in class. The past few days, kindergarten students...
Just Listen
When we watched the rocket launch last week, my son remarked, “I wonder if the rocket is going to meet God.”
His curiosity has been...
Am I Alive?
In this virtual programming world, there’s a new question many of us ask without realizing it: Am I live?
We say this phrase in the context...
Smile Harder
As the song says, “You’re never fully dressed without a smile.”
About two weeks ago, we received the notice that adults and children older than...
Mama Said There’ll Be Days Like This
“Mama said there’ll be days like this,
There’ll be days like this, mama said.
Mama said there’ll be days like this
There’ll be days like this, my...
I Sound Like My Mother
In our new morning routine, I play the role of Henry’s teacher from 8:30-9:30 a.m. We color, build, garden, learn letters and do puzzles....
Stop and See the Roses
Look at a lot of Facebook and Instagram posts and you’ll see picture after picture of people’s gardens, patches of wildflowers that someone discovered...
Pacing Yourself
Admittedly, I’m not the runner in our household. My husband loves exploring different routes in Westwood, returning filled with awe over which sites he...
New Articles
News
Who Are the Jews On Joe Biden’s Cabinet?
Ryan Torok - 0
United States President-elect Joe Biden has assembled a team of Cabinet nominees with strong ties to the Jewish community.
Antony Blinken, Biden’s nominee for Secretary...
Culture
2021 Grammy Awards: All the Jewish Nominees
Ranging all the way from the sister rock band Haim to comedian Tiffany Haddish, these are the Jewish artists who made the biggest impact on the recording industry this year.
Middle East
PA TV Accuses Israel of “Deliberately Killing Palestinian Children”
On November 21, The Palestinian Authority’s (PA) official television network accused Israel of “deliberately killing Palestinian children” during a children’s television program.
Palestinian Media Watch...
News
Remembering Dr. Sharon Gillerman
Joshua Holo - 0
We mourn the untimely death, on Nov 20th, of our beloved friend, teacher and colleague, Dr. Sharon Gillerman, scholar of modern European Jewish history...
Israel
Where Tony Blinken Stands on Jewish Issues, From Immigration to Israel
Tony Blinken, President-elect Joe Biden’s choice for secretary of state, is the stepson of a Holocaust survivor whose stories shaped his worldview and subsequently his policy decisions, including in the Middle East.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.
