Thoughts on being Jewish

DINGLE, Ireland -- Once there was a neighborhood near the Brookline-Boston line known as Little Kerry because so many of the residents hailed from this lush, rustic county in the southwest of Ireland. Today, here on Kerry's Dingle peninsula, there is a concentration of so many families who once lived in Massachusetts that the locals call it Little Boston. A 19th-century famine made the Irish the world's most storied nomads, creating a diaspora numbering 70 million. But now Ireland's sudden... Sign in to see full entry.

Rowling is not Jewish, but the message she conveys in this speech, beseeching us to engage in this world to better mankind, is a very Jewish mandate..... One of my favorite quotes from it - rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life. Read the rest here.... http://harvardmagazine.com/go/jkrowling.html Sign in to see full entry.

It’s never been my intention to try to convert readers to my religious beliefs or disrespect any other. I also don’t expect to change anyone else’s way of thinking, so I’m not sure why so many bloggers on this site, from Fundamentalist Christians to Fervent Atheists, expect readers to suddenly see “the light” – which is really their light – as each of us has our own. My Judaism outlines the way I conduct my life. It fulfils my needs and satisfies my soul. It comforts me in grief and provides me... Sign in to see full entry.

Israel is not the easiest place to live and maintain one’s optimism. Fortunately, I represent an institution that re-energizes me everyday and allows me the privilege to observe, at eye-level, people making an effort to get along with one another - despite the maelstrom of hate swirling around us. Political hatred between Jews and Arabs runs very deep and ultimate reconciliation will need to come from an equally deep place from within us all. To reach that place is a painstakingly slow process... Sign in to see full entry.

Every so often, while on assignment for a magazine article, I come across a story that sticks in my craw – a story that insinuates itself into my life to the point where I can’t ignore it. This was the case when, while researching a rather benign fluff piece for a lifestyle magazine, I came across a hornet’s nest of hate. The topic was pleasant enough – Public Gardens of Westchester. I chose one in Yonkers, NY that is hardly ever referenced anywhere; Untermeyer Park. It turned out to be an... Sign in to see full entry.