Where’s our solidarity with women?
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I had been preparing to write about Simchat Torah again. About the fact that this time I specifically invited (young) women so that my daughter and I would not be the only ones dancing with the Torah. But all of that was overshadowed. Overshadowed by the terrible events in Israel and it still seems unreal.
“Rockets are flying towards Israel” was the first statement I heard when I arrived …
Wind of Change
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I criticise rabbis a lot. Often I am not happy about their decisions, their missing compassion, their unwillingness to put themselves into another person’s position, and most of the time this other person is a woman. I speak out, I challenge them. I’ve had my fights with a few of them and while we all remain civil and act like adults, my experiences are not forgotten.
The rabbis, and …
Feministi
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There were visitors in “my” synagogue today. Unfortunately, I wasn’t there and only found out about it after the end of the Shabbat.
A married couple, a bit older, from Israel. They asked about the history of the synagogue, the community, the activities. Normal things, everyday questions. A question arose during this conversation. Whether there are Shiurim for women. A wonderful question. A big gap. The short answer would …
Kavod
A few years ago I noticed something at the synagogue. I’m sure this isn’t specific to my synagogue but can be seen in others as well. It died down during Corona, but seems to be making a comeback.
At certain times on Shabbat the Tora cabinet is opened. A man is chosen for this. He goes to the front, opens the curtain and closes it when it’s time again. So far so good. And then …
What do you need that for?
I’ve waited for 3 years.
The past 2 years we spend with Covid and the synagogues were closed. The smaller ones at least. Mine. 2 years ago all we had were Tfillot for Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur. Last year we had just started having prayers on Shabbat, but for Succot and Shmini Azeret/Simchat Tora no prayers were planned.
This year things were going to be different. The closer we were getting to Simchat Tora …
Bat Mitzvah Club and Challah
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Whenever I get a request for an interview, especially when it’s for TV, I find myself saying: “We can speak about anything. But I won’t bake Challah.”
It’s not that I don’t bake Challah. I like to think of making very tasty Challah. But the connection between Jewish women and Challah annoys me a great deal. If one continues this thought, the stereotype becomes complete. The Jewish woman in …
Implied
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Just once.
Just one single time.
That would be so nice.
Let’s be honest, once wouldn’t be enough. But one has to start somewhere, right?
“Anyone else coming?
“Someone close by?”
“Everyone is invited.”
“It’s vacation time and every single person counts.”
Every time I read these messages a part of me wants to answer: “I’m on my way.” But I know all to well that I’m not helping …
The Poor Husband
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Recently I have been learning about mourning in Judaism. I knew a little bit, but there are so many aspects and rituals I never heard of or thought about. It’s not a topic people talk about much. It’s scary and most of us don’t want to think about death too much.
Since I started learning about the Shiva, the Shloshim, the burial, I came to the conclusion that we …
Half-full or Half-empty
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Have you been to a synagogue lately?
Or even before Covid.
Germany has more than 100 synagogues. Some cities have more than one. And yet, most of them are empty. This could be explained by a number of things. Young people don’t want to live in small towns, so they go off to study in bigger places. There they stay once they start working, or move to another city, …
Wine and Cheese
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It’s Pessach. Mazza everywhere. Every Jewish household did what we all do – clean. We survived the Sederim and can now enjoy the rest of the Chag. As much as that is possible.
I have been working during Chol HaMoed this year. Meaning, I went to work and spent a lot of time simply looking at Facebook and reading what other people were up to. As I scroll through the …