Jewish Life

I have been to a lot of funerals in my lifetime. It isn’t that my past is strewn with innumerable losses — thank goodness! Rather, my parents and their church…

הושע נא.תְּלוּיָֽה עַל־בְּלִימָֽה – Please save; [all of life] is hanging in the balance… – From 5th circuit of the Hoshana liturgy Artists don’t get down to work until the…

In 2020, COVID-19 arrived, which locked us all in our homes, in our cities and countries. In Argentina, where I live, even today, since March, it is not possible to…

Much of what has been said about the second COVID-related lockdown in Israel is enduring. With all its attached hardships, I believe it’s the essential step Israel should take, even…

I’m overwhelmed. I’m overwhelmed by the sudden shift from a crippling quarantine to an intense new reality in Tel Aviv. So many people want to reunite with me, check in…

Truth be told, I didn’t believe this day would come. This day of closure, in which I’ll come back to Israel from two exciting, life-changing years at the 14th Street…

Every year in May or June, the 14th Street Y celebrates a Tikkun: a mesmerizing deep dive into Jewish and Israeli culture, our way of celebrating the Jewish holiday of…

Mimouna is the traditional North African Jewish celebration of eating chametz to mark the end of Passover. Ophir Tal, Israeli Emissary on behalf of The UJA Federation to The 14th…

During these challenging times, I have tried to find “happy moments” where I can find them. This has often taken the form of reading a book with my son or…

From Sambor, Ukraine where one line of my ancestors lived for 500 years, to the streets of New York City where they arrived at the turn of the century, to…