In these times of alarming disregard for scientific data (we’re talking to you, climate change deniers), let’s hear it for science, specifically the astonishing gains made in the field of genetics and genetic testing. Our three-part Past Lives series highlights the extraordinary resources now readily available to anyone curious about their family ancestry. Easy access…
Read More
Opinion
Youth Voice
It’s time for High Holidays to become official school holidays
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…
Opinion
Look past the beard and black hat — you’ll see a rainbow
If there is ever a contest for “world’s most misunderstood photo,” the annual “class photo” of the shluchim (Chabad rabbis) surely will be a…
Letters
Don't distort J Street; not enough religion at Z3; etc.
The joy of choosing Judaism My mom died two years ago, and Thanksgiving is hard. Still, I’m thankful to Kol Hadash Humanistic Jewish Congregation in…
Social Justice
As Ethiopian Jews celebrate Sigd, we’re still fighting for inclusion in Israel
This year, American Thanksgiving and the Ethiopian-Israeli Sigd festival fall just one day apart. The Sigd festival is celebrated each year on the Hebrew…
First Person
My Jewish journey: What a long, strange trip it’s been
I often wonder what made me Jewish. In the 1960s, while growing up in a Bay Area filled with apricot orchards and gentiles, it was possible to have both…
First Person
I’m proud to say I’m ‘Chinese and Jewish’
When people asked me about my ethnicity, I always used to say “Chinese and white.” Only when people probed further and asked, “What do you mean, white?”…
Local Voice
Fear not — new Reutlinger management deal will protect residents, Jewish character
Earlier this year, our community made the decision to seek an affiliation with Eskaton, a regionally based, multi-site (and nonprofit) provider of senior…
Opinion
Xenophobia in Hungary: Is the past becoming the present?
A dapper, elderly gentleman I will call István came to my studio for a recording session. I had advertised for voice-over talent that could do a light…