On my 25th birthday I realized that all of my major life decisions had been made...and I wasn't at all sure I was happy with them. I had expected to marry young, my friends were getting married, I wasn't dating anyone. I had a graduate degree and a career, but
An Update on Hurricane Relief Efforts When Harvey wreaked havoc in Texas—you were there. Because of your generosity, we've provided much needed support to the Jewish community of Houston which was devastated by damage from the storm. The JCC flooded, Jewish schools are closed and Jewish families have been forced from
Where I am.... is not.... who I am. How I got here...... That is me...... Hineini....I am here . In our daily lives, owning and taking responsibility for what we say, and what we do, allows us the opportunity to engage and cope with the anxiety created by our impulsive
My mom often tells the story of when we first joined our family synagogue, when I was in second grade. We would go to Shabbat services on Saturday morning and I never actually stepped foot in the service. Instead, I ran around the lobby playing with my friends my age
When new assistant Rabbi Heaps asked me to write a Jeremiah Gem reflecting on where I came from and how it informed my spiritual life (I think that was her drift), I thought of something my Dad did for me in high school that taught me how to look at
When we joined Temple Jeremiah, back in September of 1961… we had four children that we wanted to start on a program with Jewish education that neither Norma nor I had experienced. All of our four children were Confirmed at Temple Jeremiah, and we ourselves have been members of the
School! This is the place I have spent most of my time and dedicated most of my energy. As a young student, I looked forward to the day when I would be done with school. When I was a senior my calculus class was discussing the lack of quality teachers
The question of how did I get here takes me to the question of who am I. The ‘how’ did I get here is a question of what about my past makes me the person I am today, and influences who I will become. We are always our stories. I
It started with a question. This sentence explains Where have I been and Where am I now, the theme of this year’s “Jeremiah Gems”. Questions--and answers--have shaped my life. Will you marry me? Should we have a child? Do you want to work for our organization? The answers to these
The Parable Of The Music App I long ago secured my place in the worrier’s Hall of Fame, so it was no surprise that as my daughter and I arrived in New York for a wedding, I thought about what might go wrong. My phone’s GPS seemed uncertain how to
