March 2016

Passover: Festival of Binaries

Leavened versus unleavened; inside versus outside; Jew versus non-Jew; life versus death. Passover is a festival of absolute binary distinctions that we ritually link together in order to affirm our identity as the people God brought out of Egypt and to pass that identity on to our children. This is the Torah's equivalent of “Jewish Identity for Dummies.”

“Cool” is a Red Herring. Aim for Quality.

What draws people to come to religious services?It’s a question that has bedeviled clergy and dedicated lay leaders over the ...

It Tried To Kill Me, We Won, Let’s Eat: My Very Jewish Approach to Diabetes

“They tried to kill us; we won; let’s eat.”This is, according to my father, the theme of every major Jewish ...

AIPAC, Trump and Civility Through the Eyes of a Teenager

I was woken up last week, early Tuesday morning to be told by television producers for the news program on ...

A Year of Fighting for Agunot

As I lay in bed, after talking to an international committee of organizations that advocate on behalf of agunot (Jewish ...

The Global History of Ma Nishtana

Each year, Jewish children around the world learn the Four Questions. After all the image of the small child chanting ...

The Top Eight Essential Camp Songs

Ah, sweet memories of starry night skies…standing in a circle of teenage peers, blanketed by the fragrant summer air, our ...

The Healing of Spirit

“It’s not serious,” the doctor tells me. “In fact, it’s fairly common. One week on antibiotics will knock this right out ...

Making it Personal: How the JCRC Advocates for Trans Inclusion

Embedded in our communal and organizational DNA is the belief that all people come before the government with an equal ...

Mensch Madness 2016: THE FINAL GAME!

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to this year’s Mensch Madness final game!In this year’s tournament, we have seen some ...