This past October, rather than celebrating the two most holy holidays in my religion, I attended my high school classes to avoid falling behind. This is a decision I should not have to make. Every year, I want to miss school for the two most holy days in Judaism: the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah,…
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High Holidays
Jew in the Pew
Tashlich in spaaaaaaaacce!
They call it Tashlich in Space. The website puts it succinctly: “Reflect. Renew. Blastoff.” That’s right, this year you can (belatedly) send your sins up…
Books
Reporter who broke Harvey Weinstein story on her new book
When New York Times journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey broke the Harvey Weinstein story in October 2017, it started a #MeToo revolution: Women began…
Bay Area
With power out, North Bay shuls improvise on Yom Kippur
This week’s power outages have wreaked havoc in much of the Bay Area, particularly in Sonoma and Napa counties, where lights started to go out around…
Parenting
My kids do well in public. But at home? That’s another story
We had a good 20 minutes in Yom Kippur services this year. My 3-year-old, Harvey, napped on my husband, then woke up and gazed around with a tired,…
U.S.
Who by fire: 38,000 pounds of bagels burnt in truck days before Yom Kippur
Midwest Jews may need to find something else to eat when Yom Kippur ends — tons of their bagels are now toast. Some 38,000 pounds of frozen bagels met an…
Kids & Family
A working parent’s Yom Kippur apology
Like so many of you, I’m a working mom trying to juggle it all — my kid, my job and, you know, my life. For the High Holidays, I was inspired to write a…
Social Justice
Atonement: The Jewish case for reparations
Gloria Hollander Lyon of San Francisco was just a teenager in 1944 when she and her family were forced from their home in Czechoslovakia, first into a…
Torah
Prayer meets psychology: On Yom Kippur, seek a ‘growth mindset’
The Torah column is supported by a generous donation from Eve Gordon-Ramek. If you want to understand the mindset of a people, pay attention to their key…