I was invited to join Friends of Jewish Renewal in Poland (FJRP)’s Board of Directors this summer by Rabbi Haim Dov Beliak. Joining this tremendous group of dedicated volunteers in their laudable efforts to bolster the Jewish community in Poland was an honor for me. Not long after joining, Rabbi Beliak informed me of a […]

I am going to start with questioning my own title. Is the work that we are doing Rebuilding Jewish life or starting all over again, Building from anew? I confess that I am not sure – but I tend towards the latter view. It is true that many people come forward and say they have […]

From whence does my love for the Yiddish song stem? It is older than my love for music. It is like a treasure in which you find the strings of a timeless violin. The Yiddish song is the celebration of the Yiddish language – and its obstinate determination to vanquish despair and resignation.  Elie Wiesel […]

This past summer, I traveled to Poland to participate in the week-long Krakow Jewish Culture Festival. This was my fourth visit to Poland. I’d visited previously to teach Progressive communities in Warsaw, Gdansk, and Poznan, and lectured in Lublin and Bialystok. I’d met wonderful and thoughtful Jews (and their allies), enjoyed multiple Shabbat meals, led […]