Liam Avolio: Reflections From My Bar Mitzvah The day had finally come. I suppose I knew that it was happening, but it always seemed so far away. But years became months, and months became weeks, and weeks became days. And now, here I was, catching up with family, outside the temple where my Bar Mitzvah [...]
Asha Wilkus-Stone: Mourning & The Shmita Year On Rosh Hashanah, we began the new year in the Jewish calendar, 5782. This year is a Shmita year. The Shmita year is often translated as ‘The Sabbatical Year,’ and is likened to Shabbat. Parshat Behar (Levititicus 25:1-26:2) begins with the mitzvah: “Six years you may sow your [...]
Judy Karin: In the Fall We Build a Fort In the fall, we build a fort. I have a childhood memory: we’re stuck in traffic, on the way to visit my grandparents in Queens. I glance out the window and see a field of - I don’t know, it looks like giant ferns. It’s [...]
Lynn Altschul: Bringing Suicide Out of the Darkness I never thought that I would be someone who would be touched by suicide. But over five years ago my 35 year old son died by suicide and I have been engaged in a process of grief, deep reflection and tribute ever since. Some people shine a light [...]
Beth Weinberg: Reflections on Yolanda Savage Narva ~~~ Editor's note: CLICK TO VIEW Yolanda Savage Narva's presentation on racial equality, diversity, and inclusion, from our June 20, 2021 Kenny Gaynes Memorial Sunday Morning Live. Savage Narva is the Director of Racial Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion at the Union for Reform Judaism. (She is also the aunt [...]
Marcus James: My People, Place, & Purpose (Part 2) [CLICK HERE to read Part 1 of this series, Ed.] “Daddy, I have found my people, my place, and my purpose!” These were the words that drew me to Israel, which eventually led me on my own journey with Judaism. Upon returning from my third trip there, I set about locating the local Jewish community -the people. While [...]
My People, My Place, and My Purpose (Part 1) “Daddy, I have found my people, my place, and my purpose!” declared my eldest daughter Isabel (now Elisheva) over the phone from Israel. “I am not going to continue to Europe. I am staying.” I found my daughter’s declaration intriguing. What was it she meant? Israel has been in the news all my life, but [...]
Rabbi Daniel Brenner: Reproduction Shabbat Some of you may have seen that I was asked by the Santa Barbara News Press to comment on the Supreme Court decision to allow CA houses of worship to hold indoor services. I told the author of the article that we would not be coming back to in-person services [...]
Judi Shor: A Beshert Relation Like so many of you, Judy Meisel touched our family’s life in many inspiring and unforgettable ways. I would like to share a few ‘beshert’ Meisel-Shor coincidences. I knew Judy’s daughter, Debbie, from back east before we had even moved to Santa Barbara and met Judy. Debbie lived in Potomac, [...]
Bryan Gindoff: A Silver Lining My wife, Verna, converted to Judaism this year and that has been hugely important to my own practice of Judaism. But Covid (with Zoom) is running a close second. A classic in the genre of every cloud having a silver lining. Covid has propelled us into celebrating online Shabbats with [...]