Parashat Korach
As I read and reread this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Korach, which highlights the famous rebellion against Moses and Aaron by Korach, Dathan, and Abiram, my thoughts instantly turned to our world today. We humans refuse to learn from the past. We keep ‘tripping over our own feet’ repeatedly. These days, I imagine you might be asking yourself the same questions that are forever bumping around my head…why, why, why? I leap from one news report to another throughout the day. How is our world such a mess? Do you listen to podcasts and read blogs and editorials? We wonder if today’s Korachs and Dathans and Abirams are running wild around the globe, especially here in our own democracy in America.
Histories Collide: A Reflection on the Creation of the Asian-Jewish Passover Experience
There has never been an Asian American Jewish in-person Passover Seder. Until this year.
Despite the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, LUNAR: The Jewish-Asian Film Project was able to produce a multifaceted Asian Jewish Passover, free of charge,
The Facts About Abortion
FACT: Life begins at birth.
FACT: Until birth, the fetus is part of the mother.
FACT: The life and well-being of the mother will always take precedence over the fetus until the point at which the fetus's head fully emerges from the womb, and it becomes a living baby.
These are the facts as I believe them to be, based on my faith, tradition, and understanding of Jewish law. While I understand that some people may hold different religious views, they are not binding on me. Until now.
WRJ: A Catalyst of Innovation and Progress
There is no sugar coating what is happening now in the United States regarding abortion rights and access, as well as in other areas of bodily integrity and rights.
Parashat Sh'lach L'cha
This week’s Torah portion, Parashat Sh’lach L’cha, begins with the story of Moses’ sending the twelve scouts (each one representing their own tribe) to get to know the Promised Land and those living there and bring back an assessment of their chances of
Abby’s Story: A Juneteenth Reflection
I want to tell you about my daughter Abigail. She is a vibrant seven-year-old who loves to dance and sing, color beautiful pictures of our family, swim like a fish, and cuddle with our dog, Pepper. She is so much like me it’s scary. My Grandpa Roy would say she is a tough broad. She is also walking through life, facing challenges in a way I barely knew existed before she came into my life.
Parashat B’haalot’cha
Parashat B’haalot’cha has many lessons for us. From the impact of racism and misogyny to governance structures and obligations to our community and G-d. It bounces from holiness to the most mundane, and from mistakes to punishment to prayer to recovery. Our people are transitioning from slavery to freedom and self-governance, and it isn’t easy.
Awaiting the Final Decision
The Reform Movement’s long commitment to reproductive rights is grounded in the belief that each person should have agency and autonomy over their own bodies and is inspired by the Jewish value of kavod ha’briyot, respect for individual dignity. Abortion is key to our fundamental rights and freedom to control our bodies, health, and our futures. We must raise our voices to protect abortion rights and the fundamental rights to bodily autonomy of all people.
Sharon Sobel: A WRJ Leadership Spotlight
This week we feature Northeast District President Sharon Sobel in WRJ's Leadership Spotlight.
Parashat Naso
My favorite prayer from the liturgy has always been the one beginning, "Grant us peace, Your most precious gift, and give us the will to proclaim its message to all the peoples of the earth." I remember it from my childhood, especially the evening services for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur – although, of course, then it was the more formal Union Prayer Book II version beginning, "Grant us peace, Thy most precious gift, O Thou eternal source of peace, and enable Israel to be a messenger of peace unto the peoples of the earth."