I know a Rose Mallinger. And a Jerry Rabinowitz. The nine others murdered at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh are familiar to me, too. They are the stalwarts of the synagogue. Every synagogue has them — the older congregants who rarely miss a Shabbat service, the ones you can always count on to…
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Kids & Family
Mixed & Matched
My buttinsky in-laws exhaust me with their expectations
Dear Dawn: I am Protestant and my husband is Jewish. We belong to a wonderful synagogue where our children attend Hebrew school. We enjoy services and…
Kids & Family
A social 'nest' so parents don't have to go it alone
Tearful new moms regularly stopped by her office, telling of their loneliness and expressing doubts about their mothering skills and ability to cope. Many…
Parenting
A 2-year-old with chutzpah and a mullet
I took my kids to the park recently with a friend and her two sons. Our boys, ages 2 to 8, happily kicked balls together and romped through the trees.…
Hanukkah
Hanukkah happenings around the Bay
Whether you’re standing in the shadow of the 25-foot-tall menorah in Union Square or toting your family’s favorite hanukkiah to a synagogue lighting,…
Kids & Family
Artist’s first kids’ book is a yawner — in a good way
So you think falling asleep is a grown-up problem? Not so, says Rebecca Whipple Silverstein, 37, author of an artful new children’s book that approaches…
Parenting
A Jewish mom, yes — but not that stereotype
Last spring, I brought my son dinner one day a week after track practice — dropping it off at school because he had somewhere to be after track on those…
Mixed & Matched
My daughter won’t circumcise her son — what can I do?
Dear Dawn: My pregnant daughter just learned her baby is a boy. She and I just had an animated discussion because she announced to me she doesn’t plan to…
First Person
Talking to my 12-year-old about Pittsburgh
If you are reading this, you may care deeply about Jews. You may care deeply about Pittsburgh or America or humanity. You may be Jewish or you may not be.…