Wear Orange on June 2: National Gun Violence Awareness Day
On June 2, National Gun Violence Awareness Day, people around the country will Wear Orange to bring attention to the epidemic of gun violence that kills 90 Americans each day. One of those lives lost was Hadiya Pendleton.
How Saying “Yes” Transformed my Youth Program
I thought Thursday, September 8th was going to be a typical Thursday evening on a call with teens - an hour-long call in which we'd likely encounter some tech problems, side conversations, and background distractions before everyone rushed off to their next commitment.
Galilee Diary: The Neighbors
Whoever saves one life in Israel [i.e., of a Jew] is as if he had saved an entire world.
– Mishnah, Sanhedrin 4:5
Whoever saves one life is as if he had saved an entire world.
How the Trump Administration Budget Would Affect Crucial Government Programs
Yesterday, the Trump administration released its budget proposal for FY 2018.
Today, We Made History at the Western Wall
There were 14 Torah scrolls and hundreds of committed Jews standing with one goal: to hold an egalitarian service at the Kotel.
Ki Teitzei: When You Go Out as a Warrior
Parashat Ki Teitzei includes a rich and varied collection of directives that serve as a partial blueprint for behaviors and norms to create the emerging covenantal culture. As Professor Adele Berlin notes, “Issues pertaining to women are prominent in this parashah. . . .
What Do We Really Pass on From One Generation to the Next?
At 33 with a baby, the words “mammogram,” “MRI,” “genetic consultation,” and “hysterectomy” can be scary. I want to be here for my family.
How Tikkun Olam and Pikuah Nefesh Will Help Me Prepare: A #BlogElul Post
Last week I had lunch with a rabbi friend who told me he’s in the midst of preparing four different sermons for the upcoming High Holidays.
Syrian Refugees
With more than 500,000 people displaced to neighboring countries by the violent civil war in Syria, the Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief (JCDR) has opened a fund to provide humanitarian aid to the refugees.
2015 Hate Crime Statistics Show Areas of Work Ahead
Each November, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) releases its annual report on hate crime statistics, called the Hate Crime Statistics Report.