by Webmaster | Aug 11, 2016 | Arts & Culture, Identity, Jewish Ritual
When the list of the top ten Jews you should follow on social media platform Snapchat came out this week there were the inevitable comedians and foodies but only one rabbi made the cut! Vegan, Black and a bodybuilder, Sandra Lawson, a student at the Reconstructionist...
by Webmaster | Jul 18, 2016 | Arts & Culture, Identity, Jewish Ritual
Judaism and Calypso? An unexpected combination? For Oscar Sarmiento, Duvan Vargas and Ruben de la Hoz, living on the shores of the Caribbean, nothing could be more obvious. And once you’ve had a listen to their version of Adon Olam (video below) you will likely agree....
by Webmaster | Jul 8, 2016 | Identity, Jewish Ritual
Life is a journey for each of us. It’s full of twists and turns and sometimes things happen to us without us understanding the reason why. Both sides of my family came to Judaism from Christianity. My paternal grandfather began to learn more about Judaism after he...
by Webmaster | May 4, 2016 | Identity, Jewish Ritual
What does it mean to be hero in Judaism, and who to me represents that more than anyone? For me, a hero is someone who in spite of adversity, still manages to build a world around her that is for the sake of growth, of positivity and of Shalom. My personal model of...
by Webmaster | Nov 12, 2015 | Identity, Jewish Ritual
As a youth, I often felt as if I had two worlds and two cultures that were always with me (Genesis 25:2). Born and raised in Monsey, NY in a context of the Chabad Lubavitch community, with an African-American and Dutch mother who so deeply felt connected to the Jewish...
by Webmaster | Nov 3, 2015 | Identity, Jewish Ritual
When I was 6 years old I told my parents I was going to become a rabbi. I was blessed to grow up with extremely supportive parents and a community full of great Jewish role models. Nonetheless, there is no one person who inspired me to be a rabbi. I wanted to be a...