This week, I am in Israel. On Friday, I visited with a group of 18-year olds participating in Habonim-Dror [Jewish Youth Movement]…
Category: Jewish Renewal
Genesis: An Archetypal Journey
In last night’s dream, I met myself — lots of different versions of myself. An elderly woman, accompanied by her…
Thanksgivukkah: The True History
Thanksgivvukah, the rare convergence of American Thanksgiving and Hanukkah, has been a mechayeh — a revitalization. Maybe even a re-dedication, which…
Found: New Prayers
In this week’s Exploring Judaism class at Or Shalom Synagogue, we discussed “prayer.” Student questions drove our discussion. What are we hoping…
A Mystical Vision
Last week, I had a mystical experience. As I took my seat on an airplane flying from Toronto to Vancouver,…
Death and Rebirth
If I lived alone on Planet Laura, I would stop writing about the Pew survey of American Jews, in protest against…
Spiritual Yearnings of American Jews
As Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz writes at Rabbis Without Borders, statistics in the Pew Research Center’s survey of American Jewish attitudes and beliefs are…
Shall We Pray?
Occasionally, a book about Jewish prayer will tell you that Judaism discourages spontaneous prayer. That magic of Jewish prayer, the…
Unveiling
What is unveiled at an unveiling? My brother Dave, my husband Chas, my two young adult children Hillary and Eli,…