synagogue

3 Times a Year – THAT’S ALL!

Back in biblical times, Israelites would come to the great Temple three times a year, in the fall, and at ...

Shul-Shopping? Don’t Do It Now

The High Holidays are the worst days to experience the personality and atmosphere of a synagogue.

Overcoming Obstacles to Recite Mourner’s Kaddish with Dignity

My father died on Rosh Hashanah 5764. He died at home, in a clean white bed, surrounded by his wife ...

The Mystery of Those Mini Kiddush Cups

I’ve made Kiddush in synagogue social halls countless times. Most of my life I stood there holding a humble plastic ...

The Steampunk Coffee… Synagogue

Editor’s Note: This is the blog we had scheduled to run today: a lovely piece about any gathering place becoming ...

Wandering Jewess

Jew. Woman. American. Those three attributes are as intrinsic to my identity as my own name.  A close fourth would ...

Bat Mitzvah Girl Speaks Volumes, Without Saying a Word

If I close my eyes and sit quietly, I can still picture the expression on her face. My breath catches ...

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 ...

On the Other Side of the Mountain

Having opted to leave the Interstate and take the shortest route, I shouldn’t have been surprised to find myself traveling ...

Are Synagogues Outsourcing Tikkun Olam?

These are exciting times for Jewish social justice.  This past week, an interfaith group of ministers, led in part by the ...