Life is inherently complicated. We must resist the urge to oversimplify complex issues. The pursuit of trying to be on the ‘right’ side can...
Okay, so I’ve been wondering… what’s with the year 5784? For the Gregorian calendar, we know it is 2023 because we are counting forward...
My Jewish journey started when I opened my DNA results from Ancestry.com to discover I was 50% “Ashkenazi.” I didn’t know what that word...
Happy Holiday – חג שמח – Happy Hanukkah! Before my DNA surprise and dive into Judaism, I never understood Hanukkah. I always thought of...
I was terrified for my first d'var. Luckly, it fell on one of the few Torah portions I am familiar with: Vayishlach where Jacob wrestles with an angel—his inner demons. Something I can relate to with my DNA suprise.
“If you need to pass, you should,” my grandfather told me. We started having this conversation when I was around seven years old.
Limmud’s mission: “Wherever you find yourself, Limmud will take you one step further in your Judaism.” It's true—they do!
Chanukah is about more than a story of lights and miracles. It's tale of choice, bravery, and triumph can help inform how Jews face antisemitism today.
What is so awe-inspiring about the Days of Awe - the time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur? An apology, true remorse, and learning from your mistake.
I first encountered this phrase, Welcome Home, when I dropped my son off at Camp Kalsman. When I visited Temple B’nai Torah in Bellevue, I was greeted with the same phrase. Is this a spiritual welcoming for Zera Yisrael I wondered?
You see, there’s really only one thing that I find bewildering about Judaism—the calendar. Growing up in the U.S. we’re steeped in the Gregorian calendar. The calendar seemed a simple thing until I after being introduced to the Jewish calendar.
Somehow you ended up taking an over-the-counter DNA test. Perhaps the commercial of lederhosen versus a kilt sucked you in. Whatever brought you to the moment where you found yourself spitting into a little tube isn’t important. The only thing that matters is your little vial turned out to be Pandora’s box.
During a break at one of our Intro to Judaism classes, my husband slid a brochure my way. My eyes scanned the title, “PNW Sisterhood Retreat.” Me? I thought. My husband must have read the expression on my face. He told me he thought it would be fun for me and a good way of meeting other Jewish women. “Besides, why not go?”
I was excited to celebrate my first Passover holiday. I was really starting to like the theme of Jewish holidays—let’s celebrate and eat!
I am a bastard but not a mamzer. My biological father is not the man my mother was married to when I was born. The only reason I'm not a mamzer is my mother wasn't Jewish.
One of the oddest Jewish traditions I’ve encountered is the custom of placing a small rock on top of the headstone or somewhere close to a gravesite rather than flowers. I love the color, the reminder of life flowers offer the gravesite of a loved one.
Who knew Judaism had so many holidays! My favorite newly discovered holiday—Purim. Purim is something like a cross between Halloween, Easter, and Mardi Gras. Sounds like fun? It is!
Even for a girl who was supposed to be half black, my hair never made sense. Well, that and my skin color. The later could be explained away by the fact there was obviously some mixing between a white slave owner and my black ancestors
Challah. No food represents being a Jew more than this mildly spongy, slightly crunchy, honey kissed confection. I’ve made bread before, but there wasn’t any historical or cultural connection to my past bread making experiences.
The concept of God is a tricky thing. I do not equate God and religion. I see religion as divisive and often hypocritical. I think God on the other hand, can be a unifying idea when separated from organized religion. When you have children, you think more about what God means...
My first Intro to Judaism class I was so nervous. I couldn’t help but wonder how I would fit in. I wasn’t looking to convert. Did the fact that my birth father was Jewish make a difference?
After my Surprise DNA results in January 2018, I splattered the Internet with my DNA trying to find my biological father.
I met a woman in a knitting store (I love to knit, it gives my hands something to do - sitting idle is not something I do well), she'd picked up the most beautiful variegated yarn.
I DNA surprise can turn your life upside but it can also explain so much about who you are.
Life is inherently complicated. We must resist the urge to oversimplify complex issues. The pursuit of trying to be on the ‘right’ side can...
Okay, so I’ve been wondering… what’s with the year 5784? For the Gregorian calendar, we know it is 2023 because we are counting forward...
My Jewish journey started when I opened my DNA results from Ancestry.com to discover I was 50% “Ashkenazi.” I didn’t know what that word...
Happy Holiday – חג שמח – Happy Hanukkah! Before my DNA surprise and dive into Judaism, I never understood Hanukkah. I always thought of...
I was terrified for my first d'var. Luckly, it fell on one of the few Torah portions I am familiar with: Vayishlach where Jacob wrestles with an angel—his inner demons. Something I can relate to with my DNA suprise.
“If you need to pass, you should,” my grandfather told me. We started having this conversation when I was around seven years old.
Limmud’s mission: “Wherever you find yourself, Limmud will take you one step further in your Judaism.” It's true—they do!
Chanukah is about more than a story of lights and miracles. It's tale of choice, bravery, and triumph can help inform how Jews face antisemitism today.
What is so awe-inspiring about the Days of Awe - the time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur? An apology, true remorse, and learning from your mistake.
I first encountered this phrase, Welcome Home, when I dropped my son off at Camp Kalsman. When I visited Temple B’nai Torah in Bellevue, I was greeted with the same phrase. Is this a spiritual welcoming for Zera Yisrael I wondered?
You see, there’s really only one thing that I find bewildering about Judaism—the calendar. Growing up in the U.S. we’re steeped in the Gregorian calendar. The calendar seemed a simple thing until I after being introduced to the Jewish calendar.
Somehow you ended up taking an over-the-counter DNA test. Perhaps the commercial of lederhosen versus a kilt sucked you in. Whatever brought you to the moment where you found yourself spitting into a little tube isn’t important. The only thing that matters is your little vial turned out to be Pandora’s box.
During a break at one of our Intro to Judaism classes, my husband slid a brochure my way. My eyes scanned the title, “PNW Sisterhood Retreat.” Me? I thought. My husband must have read the expression on my face. He told me he thought it would be fun for me and a good way of meeting other Jewish women. “Besides, why not go?”
I was excited to celebrate my first Passover holiday. I was really starting to like the theme of Jewish holidays—let’s celebrate and eat!
I am a bastard but not a mamzer. My biological father is not the man my mother was married to when I was born. The only reason I'm not a mamzer is my mother wasn't Jewish.
One of the oddest Jewish traditions I’ve encountered is the custom of placing a small rock on top of the headstone or somewhere close to a gravesite rather than flowers. I love the color, the reminder of life flowers offer the gravesite of a loved one.
Who knew Judaism had so many holidays! My favorite newly discovered holiday—Purim. Purim is something like a cross between Halloween, Easter, and Mardi Gras. Sounds like fun? It is!
Even for a girl who was supposed to be half black, my hair never made sense. Well, that and my skin color. The later could be explained away by the fact there was obviously some mixing between a white slave owner and my black ancestors
Challah. No food represents being a Jew more than this mildly spongy, slightly crunchy, honey kissed confection. I’ve made bread before, but there wasn’t any historical or cultural connection to my past bread making experiences.
The concept of God is a tricky thing. I do not equate God and religion. I see religion as divisive and often hypocritical. I think God on the other hand, can be a unifying idea when separated from organized religion. When you have children, you think more about what God means...
My first Intro to Judaism class I was so nervous. I couldn’t help but wonder how I would fit in. I wasn’t looking to convert. Did the fact that my birth father was Jewish make a difference?
After my Surprise DNA results in January 2018, I splattered the Internet with my DNA trying to find my biological father.
I met a woman in a knitting store (I love to knit, it gives my hands something to do - sitting idle is not something I do well), she'd picked up the most beautiful variegated yarn.
I DNA surprise can turn your life upside but it can also explain so much about who you are.