I was of two minds about my Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati fellowship at Adath Israel synagogue as my year began. On the one hand, I was eager to do more than teach in a classroom setting. I wanted to put my newly-minted MA in religious education to work. I wanted to take the educational theories and the ideas about educational…
Month: January 2016
A New Kind of Song
Think back to a favorite memory of a Jewish experience. Maybe you grew up Jewish and remember a yearly Passover Seder with your family. Maybe your first encounter with Judaism was a recent Shabbat service. Maybe your child came home from summer camp excited about the friends she made. Now, think about what gave that experience the meaning to imprint…
What I Dream / מה אני חולמת
בחודש יולי, החברים של בית כנסת ”שולם,“ שבוא אני מתמחה כרבה, יסעו לישראל. לעת עתה, יש ארבעים חברי קהילה שנרשמו לנסיעה. אם חמישה אנשים נוספים ירשמו, תהיה לי הזדמנות ללוות אותם למסע. הקבוצה תתחלק לשני אוטובוסים, ואני אלווה את האוטובוס השני כמדריכת הטיול. אז, עכשיו אני חולמת על כל מה שאלמד את אנשי הקהילה שלי, אם תהיה לי הזדמנות לנסוע…
Creating Space to be Real
A Chassidic story tells the tale of a man named Zusya who lies on his deathbed, crying. His students come to comfort him and ask why he is crying. Zusya says to them, “I am afraid.” His students reply that he should not be afraid because he has been a pious man, a devoted student, and a caring person. Zusya…
Honoring Our Elders as They Age
How old is the oldest person you know? A bizarre question, I will grant that, but I mean it in earnest. We live in a rapidly aging society in which people over the age of 65 constitute the fastest growing demographic. Looking even closer at this cohort, the balance is tipped toward those over 85, as Rabbi Richard Address suggested…