Ritual Inclusion
On Simchat Torah, Get Up and Dance with Me!
Being a woman on Simchat Torah is hard for me, but not for the reasons you might think.Maybe I am ...
The Growth and Development of an Independent, Observant Minyan
Kol Sasson Congregation was founded in Skokie, Illinois in 2003 as a Shira Hadasha-style minyan. At first, we met on ...
Opening the Walls of Our Chuppah
There is a particular photograph that adorns the imagination of every engaged couple; it is of a young girl, age ...
Finding My Voice Through the Book of Ruth
I have always fancied myself as a feminist. When I was in primary school, I remember arguing with one of ...
Rediscovering Megillat Ruth
Last year I rediscovered Megillat Ruth. On the morning of the second day of Shavuot I joined a closely knit ...
Megillah, Matzah, and Equality
This is an exciting time of the year to be an observant Jew. The religious momentum in the months of ...
Esther, the Megillah, and Me
Ever since I was young, I have always felt a strong connection to Purim. For most girls at that age, ...
Making Up for a Skipped Bat Mitzvah
Last month, my daughter celebrated her Bat Mitzvah. In the months before her Bat Mitzvah we moved from the Boston-area ...
A Daughter’s Response to “Mincha in the Midwest”
This past Simchat Torah, my mother began planning her synagogue’s first women’s mincha, afternoon service. She was inspired by the ...
Mincha in the Midwest
This past Shabbat as I walked to synagogue for mincha, afternoon services, I was thinking about how I would introduce ...