How the Jewish community can do divorce better By Rabbi Deborah Newbrun May 17, 2022 My teacher, colleague and friend, Rachel Brodie (z”l) died recently. As I tended to my sadness and showed up to support her family at the funeral and shiva, I reflected on how she helped me become a better Jewish educator, including on my latest project: Divorce & Discovery: A Jewish Healing Retreat. It will run… Read More
First Person Would my 1971 ‘missed abortion’ be criminal in a post-Roe world? In the summer of 1971, a year and a half before Roe v. Wade, I had a missed abortion. That’s an incomplete miscarriage, in lay terms. It was not a choice.… By Janet Silver Ghent May 11, 2022
Opinion The Christian right’s abortion policy isn’t in my Torah I was studying Torah with colleagues on Monday night when the news broke that SCOTUS is likely to strike down Roe v. Wade. The sweep of fear and grief… By Rabbi Rachel Barenblat, RNS May 4, 2022
Opinion Jewish women can't give up hope on abortion rights now “Didn’t we expect this to happen?” That’s the text I sent to my advocacy team when news broke of the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion overturning both… By Meredith Jacobs, Forward May 4, 2022
First Person I say their names. Every night. Not just on Yom HaShoah. I’ve developed an unusual habit each night at bedtime. I read about victims of the Holocaust, I say their names aloud and in my mind, I tell them that… By Anastasia Torres-Gil Apr 27, 2022
Opinion I’m South African. Calling Israel ‘apartheid’ puts the BS in BDS. As a South African, it was a real privilege to visit UC Berkeley on April 7 as part of the American tour of Africans for Peace. I was able to get a sense… By Klaas Mokgomole Apr 22, 2022
Local Voice An unexpected reminder of the wonder of a synagogue experience There is an old story about the Rabbi of Krakow — Isaac, the son of Jekel — who dreamed that he should travel to Prague to find a treasure buried… By Rabbi Darren Kleinberg Apr 21, 2022
First Person Matzah memories with my mother “And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had taken out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, since they had been driven out of Egypt and could… By Linda Bernstein Apr 20, 2022
First Person As a Holocaust survivor, I feel angst over what’s going on in Ukraine This should be a week of celebration for me: turning 98 in Berkeley, still walking with a spring (and not a walker!), with most of my wits, a lot of… By Monique Joseph Apr 18, 2022