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This Yom Kippur, I sat in Kol Tzedek synagogue, where the majority of the congregation and the rabbi identify as queer or trans, thinking about how the last day of Sukkot falls on National Coming Out Day this year. Something felt natural about this intersection of celebrations and communities. During Sukkot, we come out of […]
“Could you be imagining a problem where there isn’t one?” The question caught me off guard. Where had I gone wrong? I had come to the campus medical practice at the allotted appointment time. I had waited there for almost two hours, the reception staff reassuring me every so often that it wouldn’t be long. […]
What do you do the day after a fast? (Sleep? Reflect? Make up for a day of missed meals by eating like a hobbit?) For hundreds of Jewish activists, the answer was march across the Brooklyn Bridge. When the Washington D.C. March for Racial Justice was organized on Yom Kippur, Jews gathered for solidarity marches […]
A version of this article was published in Times of Israel. Edie Windsor, who passed away last month at 88, will be remembered as many things – a hero, an icon, a trailblazer, and also rarely emphasized, Jewish. Yes, the same Edie Windsor who led the fight in overturning the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) at […]
As I reflect on this past year, moments of crisis stand out in my mind. I think about the ways in which God has tested me and my community. I think about experiencing a surreal and seemingly endless stream of challenges, pushing me to stand for my Jewish values that suddenly felt under attack. Even […]
Throughout college, I struggled with an eating disorder. In many ways, it first manifested itself during Yom Kippur freshman year. From there, it was a downward spiral into self-hatred, an obsession with calories, and compensatory cardio. Four Yom Kippurs in a row, I fasted too easily. The challenge was not for me to abstain from […]
On Oct. 1, I’m going to the March For Racial Justice in Providence, Rhode Island – and my motivation for participating has nothing to do with anti-Semitism. For me, this march isn’t about the history of Jewish persecution. It’s about not only standing in solidarity with people marginalized around the world but also making a […]
Jewish students are ready to talk about more than Israel. How do I know? I asked a room full of Jewish student leaders. Earlier this month, Jewish activists from eight tri-state campuses gathered at NYU for the American Union of Jewish Students #CampusTentNYC Town Hall, a student-led effort to bring diverse young Jewish leaders under one […]
In the weeks leading up to Yom Kippur, I go through all my Facebook friends and determine who needs an apology. I write dozens upon dozens of apology emails full of pleas for forgiveness and willingness to move forward. This year, Yishai – let’s call him that – sent me such an email, but just like last year, […]
Dear Jewish educators, First, I would like to thank you for dedicating your lives to helping students like me understand faith and tradition. Thank you for allowing me to develop life-long friendships, for allowing me to grow my creativity and for patiently fielding my questions. Thank you for encouraging my feminism and my passion for […]