When sadness over the fires at Camp Newman fill you with sadness, remember that we are a resilient people.
When the Sadness is so Deep: After Fires Burned Down Camp Newman Buildings
Open Letter to Camp Newman Teens, Staff and Alumni from Rabbi Paul
An open letter to Camp Newman teens, staff and alumni from Rabbi Paul Kipnes about getting through after the fire. (Okay to share with adults too)
Upon waking from the Fires: The Sacred Power of “And”
Our hearts hold both the loss of URJ Camp Newman AND care for all those facing harm and devastation.
Lifting the Veil of Silence about Mental Illness
It is time for us to lift the veil of silence around mental illness, talking about it and our mental health journeys. Especially in the Jewish community.
A Kaddish after Gun Violence: For When Humanity Fails Itself
How My Synagogue Helped My Child Save Herself (in her Battle with Depression)
A mother speaks about her appreciation that the Congregation Or Ami and its rabbis offered deep support for their daughter on her battle with depression.
Confessions from the Edge of a Cliff: My Teen Mental Health Journey
Teen Dani, an 11th grader, shared her mental health journey (through depression) to an overflowing synagogue on Yom Kippur.
That Time I had it Out with God
The mother died four days after her daughter became Bat Mitzvah. And then I had it out with God.
Isaac’s Story in the Akedah: The Two Walked on Together
What are Isaac's thoughts on the Akedah, when his dad almost sacrificed him? A first person perspective about sons and fathers.
Embracing Nuance and Complexity on the River of Life
Sara S. Lee: The Jewish Educator who Saved my Soul
Sara Lee's wisdom and truth-telling transformed what once was an anxiety-filled season of frenetic High Holiday scrambling into a more introspective period of thoughtful High Holy Day preplanning and ultimately deeper meaning.
High Holy Day Lessons from an Alaskan Glacier
As a house-sized iceberg was calved from the Alaskan glacier, we discovered poignant lessons for the Jewish High Holy Days.
History-holding Friend is a Gift from God
Devoted, history-holding, once-in-a-blue-moon-visiting friends are a transcendent gift from God.
Strangers at the Shiva Minyan
Seeking to extract meaning from the shiva minyan, we held onto the stories that brightened that house of mourning.
Addressing Homelessness: One Synagogue’s Journey to Justice
47,000 people are living homeless on the streets of Los Angeles. The Bible mandates we "give shelter to the homeless" (Isaiah58:7). A Reform Jewish congregation with a long history of taking on troublesome social justice issues. Measure H, a ballot measure designed to end homelessness, is endorsed by both democratic and republican leaders.