This is a weird time. We are in the midst of a pandemic. We had no idea this was coming. We are not prepared. On Sunday I read in the SF Chronicle that many houses of worship were closing their sites. By today I learned that six of the bay area counties will be putting a shelter-in-place order out…
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We are now midweek for Sukkot. The Bible refers to Sukkot as HaChag, THE Festival. The best, the greatest holiday. Read more about it here. Sadly, in America, it has slipped into the background and many Jews miss out on the fun. If you didn’t do much for Sukkot yet this year consider going to one…
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There is a Yiddish term for the parents of your son or daughter-in-law. The word is Machatunim and is plural. I think it’s a very useful word. When your adult child falls in love and gets married you want very much for your two families to get along and share happiness. As you are building this relationship…
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I received the following letter and answered it in my column because it is such a common question. The J weekly gave it a different headline; one that didn’t really speak to the question. Individuals seeking a Jewish conversion often believe that they want an Orthodox conversion, but seldom know what that really means. …
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It’s August. Time to squeeze the last juice out of summer. Then take a leisurely look at fall Jewish programs and opportunities. If you don’t yet have a synagogue this is a good time to look around. You can look online to see what synagogues are near you by simply Googling “synagogues near me” or…
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Last week we had a powerful discussion about parenting in a multiracial Jewish family. I was struck by a young Black Jew who said he wants his white parents to talk with him about racism. We heard about slips of the tongue, misguided statements, things that we, the white majority can learn to do better….
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