Despite Congress and President Joe Biden recently designating Juneteenth a federal holiday, the United States still struggles to commemorate a jubilant, though complicated, moment of freedom from chattel slavery. As a nation, we have yet to fully reckon with the legacy of slavery and ongoing systemic racism. Commemoration of events both joyous and tragic is woven into…
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Religion
First Person
What does Jewish tradition teach us when nature is out of balance?
Every houseplant I’ve ever been responsible for could attest, from beyond the grave, that I don’t exactly have a green thumb. So it was interesting to…
Religion
‘My Unorthodox Life’: Uninteresting and superficial
To paraphrase Shakespeare: In the Jewish world, this has been the “summer of our discontent.” First, there was Gaza. Then, there was the pandemic of…
Torah
All of Judaism in one tidy Torah portion
The Torah column is supported by a generous donation from Eve Gordon-Ramek in memory of Kenneth Gordon. Vaetchanan Deuteronomy 3:23–7:11 Looking to find…
First Person
The lasting impact of a 1975 Camp Swig visit to San Quentin prison
A San Quentin inmate with a swastika tattooed on his hand greeted our class as we stepped off the bus outside the prison. It was 1975, and we were 30…
Torah
How this week’s cries of woe lead us to greater insight
The Torah column is supported by a generous donation from Eve Gordon-Ramek in memory of Kenneth Gordon. Shabbat Hazon Devarim Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22 The…
Astrolojew
Horoscopes for month of Av: Destroying hypocrisy, creating harmony
Av 5781 July 10-Aug. 7, 2021 The Sun-ruled month of Av has both the hardest and happiest days of the Jewish Year. Though we mourn the destruction of both…
Torah
Our journey through Covid must count for something
The Torah column is supported by a generous donation from Eve Gordon-Ramek in memory of Kenneth Gordon. Matot-Masei Numbers 30:2–36:13 What a journey it…
Religion
In the shadow of Surfside disaster, a minyan mourns its losses
About 30 people packed into the living room and dining room of the white stucco house Saturday as a Torah scroll was laid on the bimah and the gabbai…