JOFA’s Torch
A Soulless Figure, A Figureless Soul
My roommate came home yesterday with a story I’ve experienced myself too many times in too many different ways.She was ...
A Heralded Compromise That STILL Leaves Out Women
I’m one of those hard-to-categorize Jews, caught somewhere between the Conservative and Orthodox denominations. My practice leans Orthodox, my passion ...
Did Esther and Ruth Break the Glass Ceiling? A Debate
Meesh: Back then, in biblical times, the ceiling was not glass, and I don’t think Esther or Ruth made any attempt ...
Bat Mitzvah as Rite of Passage into Self and Community
My daughter Ktoret Ashira was born on Yom Kippur in Jerusalem in 2001. Two and a half years ago we ...
Approaching “Niddah” with Radical Openness
I am learning the laws of niddah, laws that relate to menstruation and sexuality, with a group of women. It has ...
Between the Holy and the Frustrating
It’s Friday afternoon in a quiet Maryland suburb. Cars pull into driveways and kids get off school buses, ready to ...
To the Person Who Vandalized My Sister’s Picture
Last week, I hung up a sign in my synagogue, inviting the community to join us in honoring the memory ...
Shifra’s Calling
Ten years ago I got that call. My dear friend called to tell me she was pregnant. I wish my ...
Turned Away From The Mikvah
I had been selected for a 10-day workshop at Yad Vashem for Jewish educators and planned to arrive early and ...
Do Your Tzedakah Priorities Reflect Your Values?
People want our tzedakah dollars. We are all deluged by solicitations, whether through phone calls, online requests, mailed letters, or ...
Taking Sides on Hanukkah
I often wonder what group I would have belonged to when people were being asked to stand up and be ...
8 Jewish Values I Learned From Breastfeeding
Hineni. Here I am, ready to nurse my last child for the last time. My mind is like a vortex for ...