“Nittai of Arbel says: Keep far from a bad neighbor, do not become connected to an evil person and don’t ever give up on the notion of reward and punishment” (Ethics of the Fathers, 1:7). When someone is adopted they are sometimes blessed/cursed with the choice of staying connected to their biological family, and that
I wonder how many other Jewish kids in schools where there isn’t even a Jewish minority (Minority: Population One or Two) face Holocaust studies with trepidation. My wife grew up in a big Jewish community and counted Auschwitz survivors in the family. Me, I grew up aware of my Jewish background in a community with
The High Holidays are over. I’ve mentioned before in posts that I sort of key our sense of time off of our Jewish holiday schedule. It’s a good way to live, in anticipation of this or that time of communal celebration. In between Simchat Torah and Passover, aside from Shabbos and what minyan times we can
On the week of her bat mitzvah, Amelia received an award for her first year of field hockey. She never held a stick before, but she got out on the field and put her all into blocking shots. At a game against Old Town last week, she had two stunning saves, the kind that look
Grandparents. I have very few memories with mine, but I also have memories with people who stepped up when my were unable to or were gone. Brian has tons of memories of his grandparents and he relives them everyday. Often when coming to a hard decision we think of what advice they would give or
After a test of my RAV4’s tires and suspension coming down a 4.5 mile stretch of rocks and pits, Amelia and I stood on the perhaps manufactured beach along the Debsconeag Deadwater at Omaha Beach. We were swarmed immediately by Maine’s patent cocktail of black flies and mosquitoes, in spite of our best efforts with
There have been a number of moves within the USCJ, and an article or two from Modern Orthodox rabbis lately encouraging traditional or observant Jews to be more receptive to intermarriage. With a lot of intermarried friends, I’m loathe to go on too much of a tear about this. However, coming from a family that
Today is my first Mother’s Day as Amelia’s legal mother. I don’t care that it is a Hallmark holiday because I deserve all the cards and all the candy and all the flowers. Here is my “being a stepmother is the hardest thing in all the land so pity me” post. I warned you it
Today is the convergence of Mother’s Day and Lag BaOmer, so it makes for a nice oasis in the midst of the joyless wasteland that is Sefirat HaOmer. I haven’t shaven except for National Guard duty, and though I listen to jazz on the merits of Rabbi Willig’s opinion, I don’t truly enjoy it. It’s
Somehow, Nezzie has learned her ABC’s, she can count to 10, she can name some shapes and colors. She is also wearing a tutu that she refuses to take off and thinks that her “boppity boo” wand will make her dad magically appear.
Writer, soldier, programmer, father, musician, Heeb, living in the woods of Maine with three ladies and a dog.
Director of Education for Congregation Beth Israel in Bangor, Maine, special educator and former school board member, mother to Amelia and Nezzie.
