July 18, 2019 Stones Not Flowers: Visiting My Grandparents’ Graves 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.
July 13, 2019 Purim: The Jewish Holiday You Probably Don’t Know About 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!
June 27, 2019 Know Your Face, and Your Hair 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
June 20, 2019 Challah Making 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.
June 6, 2019 Intro to Judaism Class 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?
June 6, 2019 My NPE Jewish Holiday Jews read the Book of Ruth on Shavuot because Ruth’s acceptance of Judaism mirrors the Jewish peoples’ acceptance of the Torah. Ruth chooses the…
May 30, 2019 American Jewish Committee Advocacy in Action Dinner After my Surprise DNA results in January 2018, I splattered the Internet with my DNA trying to find my biological father.
February 28, 2019 Identity and DNA Surprises I DNA surprise can turn your life upside but it can also explain so much about who you are.
