Beliefs & Practices
From Isolation to Community: Opening the Conversation on Mikvah
Two weeks each month, I refrain from physical intimacy with my husband because of Jewish law. It is not only ...
Immerse Yourself
There’s nothing like old friends. They connect us with our past, remind us of the continuity of our life, embrace ...
Do Cities Have Identities?
It’s true: I grew up in a town so far South, it’s North.With residents mostly emigrating from colder climates, my ...
Jews and Tattoos: Navigating a new landscape
Once a month at our family Shabbat service we ask families to submit questions in advance in what, in lieu ...
“Funny, You Don’t Look Jewish…”
Three Jewish women walked into a nail salon….This is not a joke, just what I did with two of my ...
Mikveh Attendants Need Less Legislation and More Education
Earlier this month, Hadassah Braun Margolese wrote a blog here at The Torch describing her anguish about not being able ...
I Belong Everywhere
This week, as I perused the internet, I stumbled upon a quiz entitled “Where You Belong: Your State Personality.”It involved ...
“Rabbi, please, let me immerse in the mikveh alone!”
I have two issues with the title of this blog post. For one thing, I should not have to ask ...
Who Will My Daughter Be?
On October 1 (and about four and half weeks early), my wife and I welcomed our daughter into the world. ...
The Problem with Florida
Want some insights into a historian’s dilemma? It involves cultural identity. Geography. And NASCAR. (Well – sort of.)The Encyclopedia of ...
Jewish and Transgender: The Forward Series
Last week, Chelsea Manning, formerly known as Private first class Bradley Manning, made headlines. Her announcement that she would be living ...
What’s In A (Jewish) Name?
This is another post from one of our terrific summer interns, Caroline Kahlenberg, who completed this piece for us as ...