Precious Sound
Finding healing with ADHD, stimming, and Sephardic kabbalistic musician Victoria Hanna.
Journalism by Jewish college students, for Jewish college students.
Article Archive
Is Kush Kosher? I Went to Cannabis Fest to Find Out
This is the true story of a nice Jewish girl’s adventure at the National Cannabis Festival in Washington DC. I went on a quest to find intersections between Judaism and the healing aspects of cannabis. Although Cannabis Fest DC is a Mecca of marijuana education, culture, and music, my journey with marijuana’s medicinal qualities began…
A Shabbaton Taught Me Wellness as a Woman on the Autism Spectrum
Sarah Waxman and I immediately bonded over our curly, Jew-fro-esque hair. As Jewish women have done for centuries, we swapped notes over the creams, conditioners, gels, and mousses we use to keep the frizz away. But what I really learned from Waxman, the founder of a Jewish women’s wellness initiative, was that my mental health…
More Inclusive Jewish Spaces Are Possible
Everyone is awkward when they start college. Eventually, most students find a group they feel comfortable with, build a community, and the awkwardness goes away. For students with special needs, however, that awkwardness can become a social stigma with aftereffects that can last a lifetime. People with special needs often report feeling invisible to others,…
A Magazine for All ’70 Faces’ of Our Community
It started over a cup of coffee. I had just gone to Israel and was eager to continue learning about that illusive country I had just been exposed to. Courtney Strauss had just started her new job as Director of Engagement of the Hillel Jewish University Center at the University of Pittsburgh and was eager…
Who is my Sister’s Keeper?
This is the story of a family I am blessed to be a member of, one that is comprised of five distinct people that, together by surname, by years of photographic history, by a shared address, make us a single unit. My story is that I am a sister to two older sisters, a…
‘Disabled’ Does Not Mean ‘Not Able’
My older brother has autism, a disorder that mainly affects social interaction and communication skills. He is one of the proudest Jews you will ever meet: He attends services every Saturday morning, reads Torah once a month, and has all the prayers and their page numbers memorized. At our shul, one of the congregation’s favorite…
How my Brother Flirted with Nuns and Taught us All About Religion
Growing up, I thought I had a normal Jewish family. I had two wonderful and loving parents, and two awesome older brothers. We kept kosher, lit Shabbat candles, and were a part of the local synagogue community. The only difference between my family and yours is that my middle brother has special needs. My middle…