Jewish Life

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…

A teacher once told me that the entire Torah, or Old Testament, can be read as a story cycle of Otherness, Exile, and Redemption.  Of course, the ultimate example of…

“I remember the first thing I noticed when we came into the harbor-I woke up, and suddenly smelled something. And of course, it was pollution”-Greta Thunberg, Environmental activist and winner…

Waiting for Godot is always timely, the existential queries that all the characters ask in this play echo our lives in the most microcosmic aspects and also on a global…

Kabbalah teaches that the prayers of the downtrodden open a window in the heavens to allow our prayers to ascend because of the depth of prayer of the broken-hearted. On…

Let’s take the term “High Holidays” and analyze it together. What association comes to mind with the word ”high”? To me it symbolizes “uplifting” or “ascending.” In Hebrew, the High…

This month, we welcome a new member into our vibrant downtown community. I am excited to introduce our new envoy from Israel—Ophir Tal. Ophir, a Shaliach, will begin his two…

I first came to the 14th Street Y in 2011 to see a play in the Fringe Festival that a friend of mine was involved with. I walked through a…

The matriarch Rebecca played favorites among her sons, Esau and Jacob, believing one to be the rightful heir. This play marries that narrative to the story of the city of…

A play that, quite literally, asks Jacob to wrestle with his role as brother, husband, and man of God. The Jacob Play introduces a tag team tussle between Jacob &…