Jewish History
My Neighbor the White Supremacist
As we chatted, he gestured with his hand, and in a flash I saw a swastika.
Rent A … What?
The sharp increase in hate crimes in the United States doesn’t happen in a vacuum – and I think it’s ...
Why American Jews Should Stop Observing Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Memorial Day
An interesting thing happened two weeks ago.When President Trump issued his executive order banning refugees from seven predominantly Muslim countries, ...
Jews and Muslims Coming Together in Minnesota
The final process of converting to Judaism is to meet with the beit din (a rabbinic “court” of three learned Jews, ...
The History of Mah Jongg Snacks
Nearly synonymous with the playing were the ring jells, Bridge mix, Entenmann's coffee cake and other iconic snacks that were served.
Saying No to Silencing: The Jewish Duty to Speak Out
Spirituality is biography. Jewish spirituality and Jewish biography both demand a duty to speak out, reject silencing, and stand up against any ...
An American Hanukkah Story of Resistance
Hanukkah is a time for celebrating the power of light to dispel darkness, so this year I’m setting aside the ...
Celebrating Jewish History in One of the Deepest “Deep South” Towns
Last month, 150 members of the Southern Jewish Historical Society gathered for their 41st annual conference. Even for a group ...
Would You Resist?
I am a rabbi. I am 46 years old. I am also the granddaughter and grand-niece of Germans who were ...
A Letter to My Black and Jewish Daughter in Light of the Election
Dear Maia,Remember when you were in day care? (Of course you don’t.) I was in grad school and, back then, ...
Antisemitism And Our New Political Reality
When I studied for my PhD in Jewish studies, I often had occasion to engage with antisemitism as a historical ...
Natchez, Mississippi: The Place to Be for Jewish History Lovers This Fall
For me, it’s the river that won my heart.In the summer of 2007, I was traveling in a hot van ...