My understanding of Jewish identity has changed over time, and has included ideas that touch on many of the views articulated in our texts: Jews are people who go to synagogue, Jews care about social ...Read More
For a long time I would cringe at the sound of the word “mission.” To me it represented the worst of the Christian tradition. I associated it with conquistadors and pushy missionaries, trying to ...Read More
I was once what adults called a picky eater. There were only certain colors I would eat. The beige family is the most reliable, and it also encompasses most bread-based breakfast foods (rainbow-colore...Read More
As 2011 drew to a close, a number of articles surfaced about Black atheists in the US – being Black and a scholar of religion, they caught my interest. Though the amount of recent attention belies t...Read More
Last week I received a phone call from a random, unkown person. When I picked up the phone, this fellow asked, “Is this Karen Leslie Hernandez?” I happily replied, “Yes, it is,” and he proceed...Read More
A few years ago I was going through a very hard time. I said to my father, “I just want my dignity back!” My father, a Navy survival instructor, replied, “Jenny, no one can take away your dignit...Read More
What are we?! – MEN! What are men?! – RESPECTFUL!!!! Let’s hear it louder! What are we?!!! – MEN!!!! What are men?!!! – SENSITIVE!!!! WHAT ARE WE?! – MEN!!!!!! WHAT ARE...Read More
Today is the first full day in Israel. Jet lag woke me up at 5:45am and I grew restless waiting out the dawn in my twin bed, so I pulled on running shoes and trotted out into the indigo chill. The Sea...Read More
I arrived at Gate 6 in Terminal 3 at JFK an hour before departure to Tel Aviv. It was technically yesterday, but due to the flight and the travel I’ve only scraped together some shallow dozes, and t...Read More