Tag: tolerance
Culinary Pluralism; or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Olive
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
Tu B’Shevat: Trees and the Conflict
While I am energized and inspired by the way the holiday of Tu B'Shevat has become catalyst for the Jewish environmental movement, since returning a few weeks ago from five months in Israel I am consc... Read More
The Loser Letters?
A Place for Satire, Humor, and Polemics in Interreligious (and a-religious) Dialogue... Read More
It is in the Abhorrence that I Find Strength
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
Statehood, Selfhood, and the Importance of Boundaries
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
Encountering the Beauty of Death in India
In the New Year, I always find myself reflecting on past experiences and if they mean anything to me today. I am coming to the realization that many of life’s experiences that have come my way are j... Read More
Praying at the Wishing Wall of Jerusalem
The first thing I noticed about the Western Wall is that everybody was crying. I had been lost in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, and when I rounded the gate above the Wall (the Kotel) t... Read More
Being the Change You Wish to See in the Middle East
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