Denominations

Which Judaism is the Authentic One?

Last week I met one of my neighbors, an Orthodox Jewish woman. She asked what I do for a living, ...

The Missed Kitniyot Opportunity

Passover 2016 hasn’t even begun, and I’m already frustrated with so much talk about food. Well, this year it’s not ...

Judaism is Increasingly Transdenominational — And That’s A Good Thing

The Jewish day school I attended for grade school and middle school was affiliated with the Conservative movement of Judaism. ...

To the Person Who Vandalized My Sister’s Picture

Last week, I hung up a sign in my synagogue, inviting the community to join us in honoring the memory ...

Turned Away From The Mikvah

I had been selected for a 10-day workshop at Yad Vashem for Jewish educators and planned to arrive early and ...

Does A Rabbi Have To Be A Role Model?

It’s over a month now since the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College announced that it would consider intermarried candidates for admission to ...

Reform and Transgender & Non-Gender Conforming Jews

The history of transgender and non-gender conforming people in the Reform Movement goes back further than we might initially realize. ...

The Birth of a Female Orthodox Rabbinate

When I was ordained as a rabbi, a little under two years ago, my husband hosted a lovely party at ...

Is The Jewish Community In America Actually In Crisis?

A month after its publication, the “Statement on Jewish Vitality,” signed by a number of leading Jewish communal figures, has ...

Is It Too Early To Teach My Daughter To Be A Feminist?

My 15-month-old daughter has a game she likes to play. She enjoys walking up to my husband while he is ...

Is Judaism Open or Closed?

Last week Rabbi Heidi Hoover wrote on this blog: “I believe that intermarriage has become a scapegoat for the American ...

The Rabbi In My Bedroom

When I got married, there were a million things on my to-do list. There was one thing, one pretty important ...