Imagine being asked to go entertain the enemy, but not just any enemy. In the case of a group of Jewish refugees-turned-United States citizens, their job in World War II wasn’t like most other Jews. Instead of attacking the German Nazis on the battlefield overseas, they had to stand guard over Nazi scientists in the […]
Dear 2021, You sure started off with a bang! Covid vaccinations have arrived! In February you decided to play a fun little game of “ how to get a vaccine appointment?” I got lucky: after only 4 hours on the computer, I was able to nab 2 appointments an hour out of the Twin Cities. […]
If you and your partner differ in observance, or if you’re in an interfaith marriage, you may struggle to make decisions about your family’s religious practices that work for everyone. As a clinical psychologist and couples therapist, I frequently help partners navigate these conversations so that they can reduce their tension and get more of […]
This article originally ran in the St. Louis Jewish Light and is used with permission. When Andy Brown and Dan Grabel founded Camp Manitowa in 2010, with two locations in southern Illinois, they vowed to make the summer camp experience as inclusive as possible for every youngster. They made good on that promise for the […]
Our kid loves music, which is something that makes my wife and I particularly happy. He loves everything to do with sounds — banging on drums or ‘playing’ the piano and guitar, flipping through his very own Spotify playlist (it includes hits by everyone from Bob Dylan or Whitney Houston to Vivaldi and Yasmin Mualem), […]
This morning my wife, kiddo, and I were snuggled up on the couch. We weren’t in too much of a hurry — a runny nose yesterday meant that we were waiting for the results of a PCR test before our toddler could go to school. Personally, I love how careful our kid’s school is about […]
On the third day of Hanukkah, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. This is one of the most consequential lawsuits in decades concerning reproductive freedom, and the first case that the Supreme Court has taken in which a state is directly calling upon the Court to overturn the […]
When Jean Meltzer’s father suggested to her that she write a book, he also told her it shouldn’t be a Jewish one — “No one reads those,” he told her. Well, thankfully, apparently Meltzer didn’t listen to that last bit of advice. Her first novel, The Matzah Ball, published by MIRA Books, features “everything Jewish” […]
Hanukkah approaches. In this busy season, it’s easy to neglect your relationship as you get swept up in cooking, making the holiday special, and shuttling kids back and forth. If your relationship could use a fresh look and some intentional care, give this playful take on the game of dreidel a spin. If you have […]
This week’s portion begins with an ominous pronouncement: “Jacob sent messengers ahead to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom.” Jacob is traveling with his family, servants, cattle, and belongings, and he has realized that he may just run into his long-lost twin—the same guy he tricked out of a […]
