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The Purity Test
Remember Ivory Soap, claiming to be 99 44/100% pure? That soap slogan began in 1882, at a time when Americans expected women to be pure. Purity tests remain part of our culture. However, the application of purity tests has corrupted and concretized the concept of purity into classifications of good and evil, an approach damaging…
April 3, 2022Too Busy To Rest
My mother-in-law loved to refer to herself as the chief cook and bottlewasher. She was a multi-tasking caterer, grandmother, and volunteer. At the time we marveled at her energy. She is a slacker by today's standards! Everyone is busier than ever. And Torah may have set the race in motion! In the Torah portion Tazria,…
March 26, 2022A Kosher Humanity
March 12, 2022 was the two-year anniversary of the covid pandemic shutdown. At first, we were obsessed with purity – wiping down groceries, wearing masks, and isolating ourselves from social contact. As covid has demonstrated, the pursuit of purity must change with the times. For Jews, the pursuit of purity is a central precept. The…
March 20, 2022From UK to Ukraine
Habib Rahman, the Lord Mayor of Newcastle, in the UK, has helped organize relief for the Ukrainian city Novograd-Volynsky. These two cities aligned through an international network of municipalities named Newcastle (Novograd in Ukrainian means Newcastle). My great-grandmother, Anna, left Novograd-Volynsky in 1911. But for her, I might not be writing this today, when my…
March 13, 2022
The Best (Chicken) Soup Ever
ROASTED VEGETABLE BROTH WITH CHICKEN STOCK OPTION Makes at least 12 cups The broth and stock can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 6 months. For the option, make sure the rotisserie chicken you use is Peruvian style, because that typically means it has been marinated and spit-roasted over…
March 11, 2022
Dancing with Zelenskyy
The winner of Ukrainian “Dancing with the Stars” was Volodymyr Zelensky, then actor and comedian, and now President. Zelensky heard the call of justice and freedom, becoming a world leader. He has invited others, Ukrainian and European, Jewish and Christian, to honor that call as well. The call to action is not a conversation. It…
March 5, 2022
The Ukraine and Us
I recently visited the Ukraine memorial in Washington, DC. It is a bas-relief commemorating millions of deaths in Ukraine in the 1930s. Millions of Ukrainians are again imperiled. Families are being ripped apart, others are seeking refuge in new lands, and many are fighting for a treasured homeland. These stories are familiar to those who…
February 27, 2022
Five Freedoms for a Fantastic Seder
Five Freedoms for a Fantastic Seder 2022: Tips for a freer and more engaging seder My earliest memories of Passover Seders are of my grandfather mumbling Hebrew. The only interruption was a child singing the “di fir kashes” (four questions in Yiddish). I don’t recall seeing my grandmother during the seder because she was…
February 24, 2022
Fear and Loathing in Charitable Giving
A favorite icebreaker used at retreats and business meetings asks you to reveal one fact people don’t know about you. One of my “secrets” is that I was Federation’s campaigner of the year in 1999. Fundraisers confront strong emotional reactions. Separating a person from their wealth is tricky business. Yet, Torah teaches us that the…
February 19, 2022
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