From Facebook Likes to Real-World Love

From Facebook Likes to Real-World Love

Their love was evident to everyone who was there on that beautiful day in October when Yechochanan and Aminah Perkins stood under the chuppah. Three years later, the couple still glow in each other’s presence. “There is so much I love about Aminah,” says Yechochanan,...
The Year of the Bar Mitzvahs

The Year of the Bar Mitzvahs

The “Derby Bunch”, or “Six Pack” as my parents like to call them, are a motley crew of grandkids – three of each gender – born within a six-year span to my two siblings and myself. We are spread geographically along the Eastern seaboard, from New York down to Atlanta....
What Does the End of Racism Look Like?

What Does the End of Racism Look Like?

The question was simple: “What would the world look like if there was no more racism?” I turned to my partner and the first thing I could think of, besides a vision of a perfect world and the resultant celebration of course, was that I guess now I’d have to find a new...
MLK Day: My Second Birthday

MLK Day: My Second Birthday

Many see Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a day off, but for my family, it’s a second birthday. The reason why my family always cherished this day is because in its essence, MLK Jr. Day captures my very existence, and is a reminder for my family that justice, no matter...
Ta-Nehisi Coates and King Solomon, Telling it Like It Is

Ta-Nehisi Coates and King Solomon, Telling it Like It Is

“I would not have you descend into your own dream. I would have you be a conscious citizen of this terrible and beautiful world.” ― Ta-Nehisi Coates, Between the World and Me There are any number of inspirational and uplifting texts in the Bible. In the Five Megillot,...
Navigating Jewish and American Slavery Narratives

Navigating Jewish and American Slavery Narratives

As Jews, we know about the power of narrative. The slavery narrative presented in the Book of Exodus and retold around the Passover table is probably the most powerful because it is the foundation of so many Jewish values: faith, compassion and justice, just to name a...