by Audrey Lichter This was the term used by my new friends at B’nai Harim Synagogue in Pocono Pines Pennsylvania to describe the Jewish people in the Pocono Mountains who do not identify with the Jewish communities scattered throughout the region. They work hard to find them, and invite them to participate. It is an extraordinary experience Continue Reading »
by Jill Maidhof, Outreach Coordinator Four Questions: Are you a people person? Do you think you could get people talking about a topic, even if you weren’t an expert? Do you have just a few friends or relatives who you think would enjoy Chai Mitzvah as much as you do? Are you willing to take Continue Reading »
by Michalee Merritt Today is Tu Bishvat. We celebrate by planting trees and having a seder of dried fruits, nuts and grains like wheat and barley. I just returned from my first trip to Israel. The weather was beautiful, very different from the weather here in New England. The trees were all starting to bloom. Continue Reading »
by Nina Woldin JDAIM, Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance and Inclusion Month, begins this week. Established in 2009 by the Jewish Special Education International Consortium, JDAIM is observed each February. JDAIM was created to raise awareness and foster inclusion of people with disabilities in Jewish life. A unified effort among Jewish organizations and communities worldwide, JDAIM Continue Reading »
by Audrey Lichter We are all not doing well… Bravado aside, as I travel the country and speak to the “organized” Jewish community – Synagogues, Federations, JCCs, Day Schools – except for a very select few, we are all struggling for members, for the attention of the Jews. Covid fatigue takes many forms. For one Continue Reading »
by Nina Woldin While this coming Shabbat, January 21, is National Hugging Day, we like to think that every day is (Inter)national Hugging Day at Chai Mitzvah! Hugging has been described as a handshake from the heart. The simple action of embracing creates feel-good energy for both the giver and the recipient. National Hugging Day Continue Reading »
by Michalee Merritt What is the definition of Community? A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. A feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests and goals. From the Oxford language dictionary I began to think about all the communities that Continue Reading »
By Reb Deb At Services this past Friday evening right before New Year’s Eve, I asked my congregants what they hoped for in the New Year 2023. While it might have been phrased differently by each one who responded to my query, the common thread was that people hoped for a better sense of connection: Continue Reading »
Once upon a time in Kansas City, Missouri, the many members of a venerated Reform temple formed a large, happy community. It then happened that part of the congregation split away from “the mother ship” and formed a separate, smaller, but equally happy community in a suburb of the city called Overland Park. Following the Continue Reading »
by Michalee Merritt I am sitting and looking at all the hanukkiot (menorahs) at the end of my dining room table, right by the window. I think about how they grew from one menorah to five. My husband and I had one. When my daughter Hannah was born she was given a Winnie the Pooh Continue Reading »
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