My Mother was the Center of our Jewish Universe

My Mother was the Center of our Jewish Universe

by Drew Steinberg Jewish values and the importance of family are engrained in me because of my mom. Because of her, we celebrated Shabbat every Friday night as our family of four, at a minimum, while I was growing up. High Holiday meals and Passover seders had full tables of extended family (blood relatives and friends … Continued

Staying SAFE while TRAVELING

Jeff Blumenfeld shares an excerpt from his book, Travel With Purpose: Inspiring Stories of Everyday People Who  Travel the World to Make a Difference … And How You Can Too, how you can stay safe while traveling: Stay Safe Out There Excerpted from “Travel With Purpose: A Field Guide to Voluntourism” (Rowman & Littlefield 2019), … Continued

This is Not Your Parents’ Hebrew School

This is Not Your Parents’ Hebrew School: Wise CYE and Leo Baeck Are Reinventing Jewish Education On Sunday May 1, 2022, families at Stephen Wise Temple’s Center for Youth Engagement (CYE) celebrated an academic year unlike any other in the temple’s 58-year history, one which marked a re-imagining of Jewish education for children attending secular … Continued

Happy Holiday Humor from Melissa Rivers!

Congratulations to my University of Pennsylvania classmate, Melissa Rivers, on her new book, Lies My Mother Told Me: Tall Tales from a Short Woman! Enjoy the excerpt below about celebrating the holidays with the Rivers. Hag Sameach! Happy Passover! Excerpt from Lies My Mother Told Me by Melissa Rivers. Courtesy of Post Hill Press. Happy Holidays! My … Continued

THE LETTERS PROJECT: A DAUGHTER’S JOURNEY

THE LETTERS PROJECT: A DAUGHTER’S JOURNEY By Eleanor Reissa The Letters Project is about big history, the Holocaust, but it is also an extraordinarily intimate personal narrative—a rare blend of informative, poignant, excruciating, startling, humorous, and ultimately inspiring storytelling. In 1986, when her mother died at the age of sixty-four, Eleanor Reissa went through all of … Continued

Installation of Senior Cantor Emma Lutz

Installation of Senior Cantor, Emma LutzFriday, March 25 at 6:15 p.m. | In-person and Online Since joining Stephen Wise Temple & Schools in 2016, Cantor Emma Lutz has made a significant mark on the Wise community. She has guided our Wise School students, mentored our youth, shared moments of joy and sorrow with our families, and brought beautiful, … Continued

Why Didn’t We Watch the Olympics This Year?

Several weeks ago, a friend of mine asked me about the Olympics, being held in Beijing, China. As someone who lived in Beijing for 4 years, I was both intrigued and confused at the fact that I was barely aware the Olympics were even taking place. I’d like to explore why I, and some of … Continued

A Soviet Childhood in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine

Thank you to Julia Bendis for sharing this excerpt from her book, No Smiling Allowed: Growing up in Soviet Russia and other funny stories from a Jewish immigrant. ABOUT NO SMILING ALLOWED: This book is a comedic take on life in the former Soviet Union, as an immigrant in America. Bendis has compiled many years … Continued

CONGRATS to Sydney Roberts, youngest swimmer ever to swim Bonifacio Strait from Sardinia to Corsica!

Sydney Roberts swam in less than FIVE hours (4:55) from Italy to France: Bonifacio Strait from Sardinia to Corsica Summer 2021–YOUNGEST SWIMMER EVER!! Her advice: “Keep PUSHING yourself!” LISTEN to Conversations with Coach Pedro with Sydney Roberts talking about swimming! Sydney Roberts is an open water swimmer who started her swimming in the San Francisco … Continued

BIPOC Writer Scholarship to UPOD Academy

Upod Academy Scholars Program Scholarships Available for Upod Academy MARCH 12-13, 2022 UPOD ACADEMY WORKSHOP FOR FREELANCE WRITERS. LIVE TWO-DAY WEEKEND SESSION VIA ZOOM. with LAUREN N. WILLIAMSSENIOR EDITOR, CULTURE & ‘AMERICA IN PERSON’ SECTION THE ATLANTIC POOH SHAPIROHEALTH & SCIENCE EDITORTHE WASHINGTON POST MICHELLE LEGROFEATURES EDITORWIRED(FORMERLY LONGREADS, THE NEW REPUBLIC AND LAPHAM’S QUARTERLY) SASHA … Continued

We Said Go Travel