Candles have always been an important part of my Jewish cultural tradition – the Sabbath candles lit by my mother every Friday night; the...

“The words of a president matter.... At their best, the words of a president can inspire. At their worst, they can incite.” Joe Biden,...

Last night was the final evening of Chanukah 2020, the Jewish festival of lights. I love the ritual of lighting the candles, an...

2020 has been a year of mourning the loss of old rituals while creating new ones with zerizut (enthusiasm). * The first ritual casualty...

Stately Press Club, boarded windows, Downtown storefronts cloaked in plywood, The people’s house, choked in fencing. Foreign hackers,...

Growing up in Brooklyn, I had few opportunities to experience nature. Yes, we had some lovely roses and a favorite snowball bush in our...

Dear Justice Ginsburg, As a student of Mussar, Jewish ethics, I looked to you as a shining example of how to practice the middot, soul...

When I worked for Jeffco Schools, our assistant Jean kept a decorative jar, stocked daily with M&Ms for all to share, on her desk....

My grandchildren, Selam, a sixth grader, and Dian, a fifth grader, are enrolled in an online academy this fall. I volunteered to be their...

I’ve been thinking a lot about final goodbyes lately. One of the challenges of aging is that I find myself at more memorial services...

I am not, by nature, an adventurous person. I grew up with the constant warning of “Be careful, you’ll hurt yourself.” Yet a couple of...

I attended a webinar with one of my favorite Mussar teachers, Alan Morinis, last weekend. The subject was savlanut, patience. It’s a soul...

June 8, 2020 – My granddaughter Selam’s eleventh birthday and her first rally. I told her the night before that I was going to attend the...

On the Jewish holiday of Purim, we dress up in masks and costumes, eat, drink and celebrate our survival. Ironically, one of the last...

"Camp Jancbrook lives on forever, Does not perish with the frost But remains within our memory Fondest beauty never lost.” (Sung to “Ode...

“When shadows fill our day Lead us to a place Guide us with your grace Give us faith so we’ll be safe” Sunday morning at breakfast, Irv...

During the Passover Seder, we sing Dayenu, which means it would have been enough.  It’s one of the most well-known and beloved tunes of...

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair….” Charles Dickens,  The...

What was on my calendar for today: Yoga Take Irv to eye doctor followup appointment at CU Med Center Good News Breakfast editing session...

It took a village, and I am filled with gratitude. Love and thanks to: My two writing groups who critiqued, advised and most of all...