This Monday, I was honored to attend a convening on conflict-related sexual violence to mark the annual International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict.

Ein Milim - there are no words. Arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport on a mid-February day in any other year, one would be met with the sights and sounds of people greeting their loved ones, lines of tour busses waiting for excited passengers, pilgrims

I have sat down several times to write, but the emotions are so fluid, and the situation is constantly changing. I am writing this reflection now a month into the war. Who knows how things will be by the time you read this.  
 
Let me relay what happened the

During the High Holidays, my thoughts turn to the special blessings, prayers, and melodies that shape our journey from Selichot to Rosh HaShanah to the final shofar blast on Yom Kippur.

Many of our prayers in the High Holiday liturgy are written in the plural

And, we’re off! Many of us have worked over the summer with friends and colleagues to set the calendar for the year ahead, including meetings, events, and other opportunities for gathering. September is here and with the joy and anticipation of Tishrei around

I was born a Goldman, and always knew I was Jewish on my dad’s side. Although my whole family was spiritual in their own way, the Jewish side of my family didn’t have warm feelings towards religion, and the only thing  passed down to me was the Jewish humor

I

Recently, I was bicycling with my husband, and we looked up to see a flock of birds sailing across the sky in formation. My husband asked, “How do you think they decide who gets to be the leader?” How wonderful to consider that one of the birds “gets” to be

As part of a sisterhood/women’s group, we achieve consensus, agree to accept a decision, and move forward. Maybe the deliberations are difficult. But, these challenging conversations allow for the betterment of the group. We accept the imperfect and agree to amend when needed. These five courageous sisters in this parashah provide an example of women united in sisterhood. It takes courage to state one’s position. It takes compromise to reach a consensus. It takes skill and willpower to keep looking forward.

This week we encounter the strange tale of Balak (king of Moab,) Balaam (a non-Israelite prophet,) and Balaam’s she-donkey, who, like most of the females in the Torah, has no name. Let’s call her Jennie, which, after all, is the term for a she-donkey. 

Forty