Category: Community
Flesh and Bone: Honoring Ancestors
When you see images of bones, do you shudder? One of the reasons people tell me they fear Vodou is “all the bones,” images of the skeletal Spirits of the Dead. Why do we fear the dead? Why is the ... Read More
Hunger Games
Article first published as Hunger Games on Blogcritics. In Suzanne Collins’ trilogy The Hunger Games, youth are forced to fight to the death as entertainment for the ruling elite. While the titl... Read More
The Value of Discomfort: Why I won’t make peace with my Parsha
I have encountered many mitigating interpretations of the most painful texts in my Torah portion (Lev. 18:22 and 20:13), some more rigorous and thoughtful than others. However, academically and religi... Read More
Fear, Blame & Solidarity: What Does Democracy Look Like?
#OccupyWallStreet is a serious movement. I spent some time among the people at Zuccotti Park recently, and it is truly an inspiring thing to witness and be a part of. There is a great amount of organi... Read More
Of Mormons, Baptists, and Liberty of Conscience
On 7 October, Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, was speaking to reporters outside the Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC, where he had just introduced Republican presidenti... Read More
Domestic Violence: A Social Pandemic
This weekend I finally made time to watch “For Colored Girls” and halfway through the movie I found myself upset and impassioned. I felt these emotions because I found myself, my story and the s... Read More
Sukkot, the Feast of Booths
On the fifteenth of Tishrei, we begin the seven day observance of Sukkot or the Feast of Booths. The mood and character of Sukkot is starkly and dramatically different from that of the Days of Awe. In... Read More
The Spirit of Creativity: A Reflection on the Life and Death of Steve Jobs
The death of Apple, Inc., co-Founder and long-time CEO, Steve Jobs, has truly impacted a lot of people’s lives in the past several days. But, why? Why are so many people interested in the man behind... Read More