A Surreal Simchat Torah

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As my son-in-law walked through the door on Simchat Torah morning, the look on his face told me that the sirens, which had woken us up several times, had definitely […]

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Elul, My Favorite Month

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I know, I know. The month of Elul should inspire awe and fear. I have heard stories of people in previous generations who would tremble when Rosh Chodesh Elul (the […]

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At Auschwitz, A Letter To My Grandfather

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The most intense day of my life just happened. Our group toured Auschwitz-Birkenau today and I’ve been dreading stepping foot on the exact platform my grandfather arrived at almost 80 […]

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My Mother’s Unconventional Memorial

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When the rabbi agreed to come for my mother’s pizza party memorial, my sister, father, and I were surprised. Mom’s untraditional wish to be cremated and surrounded by pizza, something […]

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Parenting Goals

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When you become a parent, you naturally fast-forward in your mind to what kind of person your child will eventually become. You have hopes and dreams and aspirations for your […]

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To Covet or Not To Covet

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A FEW DAYS BEFORE Shavuot some years back, I got an intriguing invitation from Rabbi Zalman at Chabad, who was putting together a Tikkun Leil (special evening service) for the […]

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A Motherless Mother’s Day

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I was 20 years old when I experienced my first Mother’s Day without my Mom, eight months after her death. She had lived 10 years fighting Breast Cancer and eventually, […]

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Amid Soot & Smoke Damage, There’s Hope

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Last week on Sunday evening, a fire was set at the Masjid Omar Islamic Center. Then the next day, Mercy Islamic Center was similarly set ablaze, miraculously no one was […]

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