Freedom Isn’t Free

When I was almost 14, I first saw Washington D.C. as part of a trip that I won for an essay about what America meant to me. This past weekend, I returned to D.C., this time with Brandon. We were tourists to the nth degree, guided by Miles. The Smithsonian Air and...

Rosh Hashanah 5777 Hineini

There is a story that begins, “A cantor was rushing through the streets of his town when he was stopped by the rabbi who asked, ‘where are you going in such a hurry?’ Replied the cantor, ‘I am headed for the synagogue to study the prayer book and prepare for the Yamim...

Un’tane Tokef: Tefillah

There are songs that send chills down my spine. They remind me of events. They remind me of people. When I hear them, tears well up in my eyes. One of those is a song from a little known musical called “Baby.” It starts: “So this is the tale my mother told me That...

What is This World Coming To?

When I was a pre-teen, I read a book called “The Moon by Night” by Madeline L’Engel. It was a coming of age story about a teen (who happens to be the daughter of a minister) on a journey of self-discovery while travelling cross-country with her family. One of the...

What is Classical Reform Judaism?

This Sunday, our klezmer band will be performing at the Greater Chicago Jewish Festival. In making the plans for our trip, I had numerous emails with the leadership of the festival.  One of them read: Janice, Thanks for your request. See you on June 5th at the...