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Category Archives: Holidays
The Real Menshes on Benches
I met two menshes on benches the Friday of Thanksgiving. You may now have the image of the Mensch on the Bench Hanukkah toy, but unlike this stuffed elf counterpart, these were true mensches.
One of the rules for this toy is that a "true mensch is one who puts smiles on other peoples' faces." The word mensch is Yiddish for human being. It means to be a true human; to live up to the depths of kindness, generosity, integrity and love that a human can muster. The two mensches I met put a smile on my face for sure.
My parents moved to Philadelphia over the summer from Boston to be near my youngest brother and his family. They joined Congregation Rodef Shalom which is near where they live. They joined because they had heard the synagogue was an architectural gem, which it is, that the clergy are accessible and warm, that the preaching and teaching is intellectually stimulating and that the worship is full of music and joy. As soon as they joined, another synagogue family called them and invited them out to dinner (which my parents were thrilled about since they don't have any friends there yet). The synagogue staff greeted my parents at the door for several weeks after they moved to welcome them in and make sure they were getting acclimated. My parents were immediately swept off their feet with the ruach—the spirit—of the service. They kept telling me what a wonderful community this is. They love that each week there is a Shehecheyanu prayer sung after those in attendance share the good news that is happening in their lives.
My family and I were visiting for Thanksgiving and my parents were so excited and proud to take us to their new temple. Well, my 5 and 7-year-old are not well behaved in synagogue. You might be surprised considering my husband is a pulpit rabbi and they go to synagogue a lot. My children are high energy, antsy, loud and boisterous. They get thirsty and have to pee a lot during services which requires them to go in and out of the sanctuary. They whine. They get hungry. No matter how many little activities and small snacks I bring, we have not fully mastered the art of sitting respectfully in synagogue with a "calm body" as we like to say.
On this Friday night, they were exhausted which mellowed them a little. But, my youngest ate through the whole hour long service (I so appreciated that the service was one hour including a Torah reading and short sermon). This synagogue has a quiet room where you can hear the service but people can't hear us. However, we braved the actual sanctuary because my parents wanted the kids to try to fully participate. Wouldn't you know, they did (sort of). When the time came to share a Shehecheyanu moment, my 5-year-old raised his hand for the microphone and said, "I am visiting my grandma and papa" which just made my parents kvell (swell with pride) and everyone in the community ooh and ahh with his cuteness.
During the Lecha Dodi prayer, they form a dancing chain and my children joined right in! The Rabbi made sure to welcome us specifically at the start of the service as well and he called my children up for the honor of helping to undress the Torah. Actively participating definitely helps one stay engaged, no matter how old you are. But, my kids were not perfect during that hour by any stretch of the imagination. There was a trail of popcorn under our seats to prove it.
After the service the two women sitting right behind us (on actual pews/benches) said, "Your children were such a delight. We loved their energy. We loved their dancing. They are so beautiful. What a joy to have you visiting." They didn't say, "Next time, you could try the Quiet Room." Their response made me smile. It warmed my heart. It took a load off. I had been wondering how annoyed they would be sitting right behind us. It made me want to come back again. I told you I met two menshes on benches! They embodied what it means to be gracious, welcoming and empathetic.
Sukkot Reminds Us to Treat All Visitors as Honored Guests
This blog post was reprinted with permission from j., the Jewish news weekly of Northern California.
I recently visited a San Francisco synagogue for the first time. I rang the bell and a teenage girl came to let me in. She wasn't working there; she was just doing her homework. She welcomed me with a warm smile and asked if she could help me. We chatted about her schoolwork and life at the synagogue, and then the rabbi came running out to meet me. He was in the middle of
What came to my mind that night is that this synagogue clearly practices and teaches what some have recently been calling audacious or radical hospitality. They went out of their way to make sure I was treated like an honored guest. This spirit of embrace is ingrained in their culture to the extent that even a teenager is among the initiated! We all know people who seem to go far above and beyond what might be considered polite or inclusive. And we know how encountering such an individual has the power to change our outlook. Those of us who work for Jewish organizations struggle to figure out how our institutions can reflect this value. We may have the best programs, the most beautiful services, the best school. But at the end of the day, what supersedes everything else is whether or not people feel in each and every personal encounter that they matter.
Sukkot is the Jewish season for nurturing this quality of openness in ourselves and our institutions. We move out of our homes into huts, and we invite people to join us in these temporary, yet holy spaces. The holiday goes by many names: the Feast of Booths, the Festival of Ingathering, and He-Chag (the holiday). But if we stress the injunction to welcome those in need into our sukkahs, we could also name it the Festival of Hospitality.
In a few weeks, we will read in the Torah about Abraham and Sarah in another kind of shelter, their tent in Mamre [Gen.18]. Three strangers passed through, and amidst a culture in which a stranger could be a major threat, they invited them in. They rushed to greet them, washed their feet, and fed them. The strangers turned out to be angels telling Sarah of her pregnancy. But the beauty of the story is that Sarah and Abraham had no idea that their visitors were divine guests. This is how they treated everyone they met. A midrash on the apocryphal book of Jubilees makes this connection between the holiday of Sukkot and Abraham and Sarah's hospitality clear. It tells us that part of their preparations for their holy guests was, in fact, building the first sukkah to shelter them.
What would the world look like if we treated everyone we encountered as worthy of our attention? What would our Jewish communities look like if every person who walked through a door were greeted like Abraham and Sarah's guests? What would the world look like if we treated even people we don't know across the globe with that degree of humanity?
Sukkot is the holiday of the open tent. It seems it should be the most accessible holiday, but unfortunately it is also one of the harder holidays to celebrate. Not everyone has the space or strength to build a sukkah. If you are fortunate enough to have one, imitate Abraham and Sarah during the remaining days of the holiday and welcome someone who has never been to a sukkah or doesn't think he knows enough about Judaism to partake. There is a kabbalistic custom to invite ushpizin, ancestral, transcendent guests, into the sukkah. But even more important is filling your sukkah with real, flesh-and-blood visitors. This Sukkot, may we go above and beyond to make people feel like the divine guests that they are—when they enter our institutions, our work, our homes and our tents.
Creating Positive Community Memories
This year on Rosh Hashanah, our synagogue tried something new. All of the kids were invited onto the bima to witness the blowing of the shofar. It was amazing to watch the kids' faces while the shofar sounded. My daughter even jumped back a little at the sound initially. It was a sight to behold on many levels. First, I loved seeing all of the kids at the synagogue. Most of them were in awe of the Torahs, the Rabbi and the shofar. Second, when I spoke to my son later, he said he never realized that there were that many people at the synagogue. He seemed impressed that there were that many people observing the holidays. Since he attends a school with very few Jewish kids, he felt excited that "he wasn't the only one" observing the holiday. Third, the Rabbi said that the twisting shape of the shofar is like life – there are ups and downs, twists and turns that keep going on a unique journey. Again, watching the kids comprehend this concept was gratifying.
I know that for a long time, synagogues would keep the kids in a different area of the building during services so they didn't disrupt the adults and the prayers (I suspect the parents liked having a "break" from the kids, too). Some congregations create a group that prays and another group that discusses. There may be another group for the teenagers and another group for the toddlers. Unfortunately, some kids grow up thinking that synagogue is just for kids. I think that this is all fine and good but at some point, we should all be together.
I learn so much from the whole community: from my kids, from my friend's 92- year-old-grandmother, and from the pleasant gentleman two rows back with a great smile. Our kids should see what their future looks like and we should look back on our childhood with wonderful memories. The good memories are what keep us going so we can manage the twists and turns of life.
Many people are part of the community of their neighborhood, preschool, elementary school, gym or office. I find that these communities are wonderful but fleeting; the people move, the kids grow up, the gym down the street offers a better deal or people get new jobs. The Jewish community is a little different on the holidays. No one has to send out an invitation, but lots of people show up to celebrate the holiday. We see families grow up and evolve. A hug from an old friend is commonplace. We may hear a tune that reminds us of a relative or humorous incident from childhood.
I know that many communities have a Jewish Community Center (JCC) which is a great place to find community. While I am not a member of a JCC, I find that my Jewish community IS my center. It is the most consistent presence in my life besides family. I don't love everyone there but I enjoy a little something of everyone, young and old. Best of all, we all are collecting and reliving some very positive memories.
Our New Year's Apple Picking Event
One of my favorite things about living in the Northeastern United States is apple picking. Relating to the Rosh Hashanah tradition of eating apples and honey, an apple picking event is a wonderful opportunity to build community.
In mid-September, InterfaithFamily/Philadelphia co-sponsored an apple picking event on a Sunday morning in Chester County with jkidphilly. It was a beautiful day and the orchard (Highland Orchards) was a wonderful spot. I was fortunate enough to be working with Robyn Cohen from jkidphilly and we assisted the kids in making a fun craft.
Did you know that with a small plastic horn blower and a paper plate, kids can make their own shofar? The kids decorated the paper plates with apple stickers and crayons and behold, the shofars were fabulous. The kids could make some noise with their new shofars and it didn't bother anyone! And if they got a little "energetic" there was a playground right next to our picnic tables for them to let off a little joyous energy.
The parents and kids were able to mingle and learn a little about the holiday of Rosh Hashanah. I particularly love the comparison of a shofar to an alarm clock—waking us up from our daily activities and alerting us to the new possibilities of the fall, a New Year and renewed spirit. There is something special about the fall sunshine on an orchard that warms the soul. Apples are so sweet and the kids love being involved in harvesting the fruits of their labor. There were over 25 families who attended the pre-Rosh Hashanah apple picking in Chester County. If you are interested in attending similar events, please email email@example.com and let us know. We look forward to hearing from you!
Making Shavuot Meaningful
On Shavuot, Jews celebrate Matan Torah, the Giving of the Torah. If you didn't grow up Jewish, or even if you did, you may not know much about Shavuot. Although Shavuot is one of the Shelosh Regalim (the three Pilgrimage Festivals), equal in importance to Passover and Sukkot, it's less commonly celebrated than the other two holidays. Maybe this is because Shavuot doesn't have a well-known home component, like the Passover Seder (celebrated by more Jews than almost any other Jewish ritual) or the sukkot (huts) some Jews build outside of their homes on Sukkot. Maybe it's because Shavuot comes at the end of the school year, so even if you have kids in a Jewish preschool, religious school or day school, there's not as much time available in the curriculum to focus on Shavuot. Whatever the reason, I for one would love to see a change, and for more people to learn about Shavuot, and celebrate the holiday in meaningful ways.
In that spirit, as Shavuot approaches, I have seven suggestions for how to make the holiday more meaningful. Why seven? Because Shavuot marks the fiftieth day after the start of the counting of the Omer. (We begin counting the Omer, which links Passover to Shavuot, on the second night of Passover.) Shavuot (which means "weeks" in Hebrew) marks the completion of counting seven weeks of seven days.
1. Read the Book of Ruth. Traditionally, the Biblical Book of Ruth is read in synagogues on Shavuot. Ruth's story is read on this holiday for several reasons:
a. The Book of Ruth describes the harvest season and Shavuot is also known as Hag HaKatsir, the Harvest Festival.
b. On Shavuot, when Jews celebrate God's giving—and the Jewish people's accepting—the Torah, we read of Ruth's willingly entering into the Jewish faith and thus, according to Jewish understanding, a life of Torah.
c. The end of the Book of Ruth describes the lineage of King David, who is Ruth's great-grandson. According to Jewish tradition, King David was born and died on Shavuot.
Even if you don't go to services on Shavuot, you can read and discuss the story of Ruth with family members or friends. Ruth is often celebrated as the first Jew by Choice, but as I argue in my recent blog, I think she really should be celebrated as a woman in an interfaith marriage who helps to ensure the Jewish future.
2. Study the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are traditionally read from the Torah at Shavuot services. Take time to read the Ten Commandments and learn about them. If you have younger kids, your family can decide what Ten Commandments/Rules should be followed in your home. Older kids and adults can discuss how they feel about posting the Ten Commandments in public places such as court houses. Click here to read the position the Anti-Defamation League took on this issue in 2005.
For fun, check out Godcast's Ten Commandments song or bake a Ten Commandments Challah.
3. Attend a Tikkun Leil Shavuot. There's a wonderful custom of staying up all (or part of) the first night of Shavuot to study Torah. One of my personal favorite Shavuot experiences was when I was living in Jerusalem and I spent all night learning at a Tikkun Leil Shavuot and then at sunrise walked with the rest of the people attending the Tikkun to the Kotel for the morning service.
Look online to see if a synagogue or other Jewish organization near you is having a Tikkun. Or host your own Tikkun and invite friends over to study Torah.
4. Make (and eat!) Dairy Foods. It's customary to eat dairy foods like cheesecake and cheese-filled blintzes on Shavuot. Some say that this is because the Bible compares Torah to "honey and milk…under your tongue" (Song of Songs 4:11). Another explanation is that when the Israelites received the Torah and learned for the first time the laws for keeping kosher, they didn't have time right away to prepare kosher meat. In order not to eat meat that wasn't kosher, they ate dairy. And so, on Shavuot, when the Giving of the Torah is celebrated, many Jews eat dairy in commemoration of how the Israelites ate when they first received the Torah.
In keeping with the tradition of eating dairy on Shavuot, after dinner on Shavuot I like to put out different flavors of ice cream and bowls with all kinds of toppings for everyone in my family to make their own ice cream sundae. My kids love doing this—and so do I!
5. Bake a Special Challah. Even those familiar with the braided challot for Shabbat and the round challot traditionally eaten on Rosh Hashanah may not be aware of the tradition of having specially shaped challot for Shavuot. This Shavuot, bake a challah in the shape of the Ten Commandments, as mentioned above, or in the shape of a Heavenly Ladder, a Torah or Mount Sinai (where God gave the Torah to Moses). To learn how to make these challot click here.
6. If You Have Young Children, Read Books Related to Shavuot: Check out PJ Library for a list of Shavuot books.
7. Attend a Shavuot Service. In Israel and most Reform and Reconstructionist congregations outside of Israel, Shavuot is observed for one day. In Orthodox and most Conservative congregations outside of Israel, Shavuot is observed for two days. In many congregations, Confirmation (a group ceremony, generally at the end of tenth grade, celebrating the completion of a religious curriculum) is celebrated on Shavuot. Not only is Shavuot near the end of the school year, but the association of Shavuot with the Giving of Torah is thematically connected to the study of Torah acknowledged at Confirmation as well as the idea of students committing themselves to a life of Torah. You can look at the websites of local synagogues to find out when their Shavuot services are being held.
Chag Sameach! Have a happy holiday!
RE-READING RUTH: Not "Ruth and Her Conversion" but "Ruth and her Interfaith Marriage"
A version of this blog post was reprinted in the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent and can be read here.
"Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God." (Ruth 1:16)
These words, spoken by the young widow Ruth to her mother-in-law Naomi, are among the most well known and most powerful words in the Bible. They express Ruth's commitment to Naomi—and to Naomi's people and Naomi's God. With this declaration, Ruth the Moabite cast her lot with the lot of the Jewish people, and she recognized the God of Israel as her God.
Often Ruth is spoken of as the first convert to Judaism. Of course Ruth's "conversion" wasn't like the conversions of today. Ruth didn't attend an Introduction to Judaism class (I can't imagine that any such classes were offered in Moab!); she didn't appear before a Beit Din (a rabbinic court); and she didn't immerse herself in the mikveh (ritual bath). And in fact, throughout the Book of Ruth, even after Ruth makes her declaration of commitment to Naomi, the people of Israel and the God of Israel, Ruth is constantly referred to as "the Moabite," reminding us, the readers, that Ruth was still seen as an "outsider."
Even if we are to accept that Ruth converted to Judaism (at a time long before conversion as we now know it), the timing of Ruth's "conversion" is noteworthy. Having lost her husband and two sons, Machlon (Ruth's husband) and Chilion (who was married to another Moabite woman, Orpah), while living in Moab, Naomi was preparing to head back to Israel. She told her daughters-in-law to return to their Moabite families, and Orpah followed her instructions. Ruth, however, clung to Naomi, and when Naomi told her to "return to her people and her gods" as Orpah had done, Ruth responded: "Do not urge me to leave you, to turn back and not follow you. For wherever you go…."
By the time Ruth made her famous declaration to Naomi, Ruth's Israelite husband was already deceased. This was after Ruth's marriage, not before it. This means that Ruth's marriage to Machlon, which lasted about ten years, was an interfaith marriage! I can only imagine that Ruth's great love for Naomi was based on the fact that throughout the period of the marriage and beyond Naomi accepted Ruth for who she was—making Ruth feel valued and loved.
So often today I hear a Jewish mother lament when her son marries a woman who isn't Jewish: "She's a lovely girl. If ONLY she were Jewish…" I can only imagine how this must make the daughter-in-law feel: that she's not quite good enough, that she's second class. That's not how Naomi treated Ruth. While the text may go out of its way to call her "Ruth the Moabite," to Naomi she was simply "Ruth": beloved daughter-in-law. And what a remarkable mother-in-law Naomi must have been for Ruth to want to leave her own land and her own people to return to Naomi's homeland with her after Machlon had died.
Just imagine what it would be like today if Jewish parents—and the Jewish community as a whole—could be as non-judgmental and accepting of their children's interfaith marriages as Naomi must have been of Machlon's marriage to Ruth. Surely some of the children-in-law, like Ruth, would fall in love with their extended Jewish family and the Jewish people and religion, and choose after a period of time to become Jewish. We see this happen all of the time: Someone who's had a Jewish partner for a number of years converting after truly knowing what it means to be Jewish. (As a rabbi, I would much prefer that someone wait to convert until they're sure that it's right for them, rather than converting to appease a prospective in-law or just make things "easier" when getting married. A conversion just to make someone else happy seems to me to be "empty" and insincere.)
Of course even if parents-in-law and the Jewish community are non-judgmental and accepting of interfaith marriages, not every partner in an interfaith marriage who didn't grow up Jewish is going to convert. Some people won't convert because they still practice another religion, and others will decide—for a variety of reasons—that conversion to Judaism isn't for them. And that's OK too! Our community needs to honor those who've chosen to marry Jews, but who haven't chosen Judaism for themselves—just as Naomi showed Ruth respect throughout the time that she was married to Machlon. As Naomi realized throughout the marriage, it wasn't her place to tell her daughter-in-law how to live her life or what choices she should make. Naomi loved Ruth for who she WAS—not for what she WANTED Ruth to be.
At the end of the Book of Ruth, Ruth gives birth to Obed, who is the father of Jesse, who is the father of David. Ruth "the Moabite" who was in an interfaith marriage to Machlon is the great-grandmother of David—not only a great King of Israel, but the progenitor of the Messiah.
Soon it will be Shavuot. It's customary to read the Book of Ruth on Shavuot, the holiday when we celebrate Matan Torah, the Giving of the Torah. It's quite appropriate to read the story of a woman who demonstrated her loyalty to Judaism on the holiday on which we celebrate the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people. As Shavuot approaches, I will celebrate Ruth, who wasn't raised Jewish, from our Jewish past. And I will also celebrate all of those people in our Jewish present who weren't raised Jewish: those who've chosen to convert to Judaism as well as those who've chosen to join their lives to the Jewish community in less formal ways (by marrying Jews, by raising Jewish children and by participating in the life of the Jewish community). All of them, like Ruth before them, help us to ensure the Jewish future.
Special Diets + Passover = Stress
Following a special diet can be a challenge. Most of us have followed a diet in the past to lose weight, or for humanitarian or health reasons. Some of us are on one right now. In my own small circle of family, friends and colleagues, almost all of the major diet categories are covered. We have gluten free, low fat, dairy free, sugar free, vegan, vegetarian, Kosher, high protein and low carb. Passover is coming and my diet-centered world is about to short circuit. What kind of meals can I make if I have to eliminate gluten, fat, dairy, sugar, eggs, meat and all of the items that are not consumed during Passover from the list of acceptable ingredients?
There can be some confusion about how to make our choices about what to eat during Passover. Tradition plays a strong role for religious Jews and can influence the decisions we make in our modern interpretation of our holiday observance. Jews from Eastern Europe (Ashkenazim) refrain from eating Kitnyot (KIT-NEE-OT) during the eight days of Passover. Kitnyot are grains and legumes such as, rice, corn, beans, soy, peanuts, string beans, peas, lentils, mustard, seeds (sesame, poppy, sunflower, etc.), and their derivatives which can be found in corn starch, corn syrup and soy sauce. Jews from other lands (Sephardim) do eat Kitnyot during Passover. Why is there a distinction?
The Torah tells us not to eat leaven (also called Chametz) during the holiday of Passover. Chametz consists of "five grains" from wheat, spelt, barley, oats and rye. In ancient times, a strict observance of this commandment caused the Jews in lands where these grains were grown to be extra careful. All grains were stored in the same type of sack and could be easily mixed up or misidentified. The only way to be sure of not eating the five grains was to avoid any foods that could possibly have a similar appearance. Sephardim did not have this tradition because the five grains were not grown in their lands.
A little research on the Internet results in some obscure and interesting items to avoid during Passover. Who would have known that organic lipstick may contain wheat or oat flour? We must also avoid eating anything that contains vinegar like ketchup, mayonnaise, and pickles, anything with glucose or dextrose, such as sugar alternatives, and decaf coffee and tea, which are processed using an additive called Maltodextrin, which is made from starch. Whisky and beer are also prohibited because they contain wheat or barley.
There are some very good menu and recipe suggestions available if one is willing to dig around a bit on the web. Daniella Silver has a list of Healthy Gluten/Dairy Free Vegetarian Passover Recipes that look very yummy. I am definitely going to try the Garlic Sweet Potato Rice and the Triple Chocolate Hamentaschen. My favorite site is from Shana Lebowitz called 34 Healthy Passover Recipes and it is full of interesting Passover relevant twists on regular dishes. Try her Grain-Free Banana Bread (it does include eggs) or the Bitter Herbs Salad that she found in a 2012 New York Times post.
It is a highly personal decision to change our diet for eight days. Whether or not you give up just bread, bread-like foods, or choose to follow all of the ancient traditions is up to you. Please share your favorite healthy Passover recipe with our readers so that we all have more food options to consider as we decide what our own unique celebration will entail.
Chag sameach (Happy holiday)!
St. Patrick's Day Meets Purim
This year is particularly exciting on the interfaith front regarding Purim and St. Patrick's Day, as they coincide within one day. St. Patrick's Day is Monday, March 17, as always and Purim starts the evening of Saturday, March 15. I see some green bagels in town, which is not quite the same as a fine pint of Guinness Stout, but it's nice to see everyone getting involved and joyfully celebrating. Break out the green hamantaschen!
I love tradition. I love holidays. I love people. I love any time taken apart from the ordinary to celebrate life and freedom, be with our friends and family and offer a toast to what we value most.
Saint Patty's Day represents the arrival of Christianity in Ireland and is greatly celebrated by the Irish diaspora. In America and other countries, there are parades, festivals, everybody wears green and celebrations abound with eating and drinking, song and revelry. What a perfect blend of holidays coming on the heels of Purim! As a Jewish American who married a girl from a proud Irish Catholic background, the opportunities to honor both holidays while having quite a festive time are fantastic.
Purim also celebrates with lots of eating and drinking. Some people like to get so "religious" that they can't tell the difference between Mordecai and Haman (not an easy feat of drunken revelry) when you hear the traditional reading of the Megillah. Costumes are key too, turning the roles and appearances in our daily life on their heads.
Rather than expound on the story of Esther, which you can find in our interfaith resources by clicking here, I decided to explore the sacred origins of how Jewish people relate to those who are not Jewish. More specifically, I want to examine the tradition of alcohol in celebration.
We learn early on in the study of Torah that we are all descendants from original creation in the story of Adam and Eve. And since all of us are descendants from Adam and Eve, we are created in the image of God. Everyone is holy and no one is better than another person inherently by birth. That is clear.
It is also chiefly undisputed by Jewish scholars that Adam and Eve were not "Jewish." Judaism was not created until much later in the Torah when Abraham comes into the picture. The great tale of Noah and the flood provides a nice segue between these tales. Noah was a tzaddik, a righteous person. And what does he do in his first act as a free man in a new land? Noah plants a vineyard of grapes, makes wine and gets drunk. (Genesis 9:20) That's right, the first order of celebratory business was to imbibe in alcohol. Perhaps planting vineyards was his new line of work in the New World that he was building.
Shortly after Noah's debaucherous celebration of the new promise, the very first blessing ceremony in the Torah as far as I can tell involves Malkezedek, King of Salem, who brought out the bread and wine (sounds like kiddush) and blessed our father Abraham of "The God Most High." (Genesis 14:18-19) Not only another celebration, but also a measurement of how indeed to do a timeless blessing.
There is a time and a place for everything. And when it comes to joy, open doors are much better than a "members only" mentality.
I hope that the Jewish community will continue to open our doors to all to share the joy and fun of Purim as the Irish Catholic culture has done to embrace the world in celebration. Because the more the Jewish world shines our light from our beautiful tradition and shares the fun with our families, the brighter our collective light of humanity will be shining in the world and back to our Creator.
How an Interfaith Wedding Couple Made Me Think About Queen Esther's Marriage
A couple of months ago I officiated at the wedding of a wonderful couple—the bride was Jewish and the groom was Christian. Several days after the wedding, I received the following email from the bride, Susan (not her real name):
I have a question for you about Purim. Esther married the king, who wasn't Jewish, and ended up saving her people. If she had not married the king, all of the Jews in the kingdom would have died. Extrapolating from this example, why is it considered such a bad thing for one to marry outside of the Jewish faith?
What a great question! Susan made a good point. In Megillat Esther (The Book of Esther, where we find the Purim story), the beautiful young Jewish Esther marries the Persian King Ahasuerus. At first, following the instructions of her cousin Mordechai, Esther hides the fact that she is Jewish. But when the evil Haman convinces the king that all of the Jews in the kingdom should be killed, Mordechai tells Esther that she should go to the king and reveal her true identity. At first Esther refuses, explaining to Mordechai that the king hasn't summoned her for the past thirty days, and if she goes before the king without being summoned he may order that she be killed. But Mordechai replies, in words that have become very famous: "Do not imagine that you, of all the Jews, will escape with your life by being in the king's palace. On the contrary, if you keep silent in this crisis, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another quarter, while you and your father's house will perish. And who knows, perhaps you have attained to royal position for just such a crisis." (Esther 4:13-14 – JPS translation)
Having been convinced by Mordechai's powerful words of her responsibility to her people, Esther, after fasting for three days, goes before the king. Ultimately, Esther reveals to the king that she is a Jew, and she asks that the Jews of Persia not be exterminated. The evil Haman is impaled on the stake which he had put up for Mordechai, and the Jews survive.
So here's how I responded to Susan's email:
Over the years rabbis and Jewish commentators have offered various explanations about Esther's marriage to the gentile Persian king. Of course the explanations/commentaries generally reflect more about the writer/commentator (who often has his—and historically it always was a "him"—own agenda/bias he is trying to promote when commenting on the text) than they reflect about the text. There are rabbis (clearly opposed to intermarriage) who have claimed that Esther was forced to marry the king against her will. The Zohar even says that the Shekhinah concealed Esther's soul and sent another soul in its place, so that when King Ahasuerus slept with Esther, he wasn't sleeping with the real Esther.
Of course the biblical text doesn't say this at all. In the biblical text itself no judgment is made on Esther marrying out of her faith. And as you point out, by marrying someone who wasn't Jewish, Esther ended up saving her people.
So here's what I have to say about Esther: By marrying a man who wasn't Jewish, and ultimately "coming out" to her husband, the king, as a Jew, Esther saves her people. The text doesn't comment on the fact that Esther is in an interfaith marriage, and I agree that she should be held out as a positive example to interfaith couples.
In my view, the only thing Esther should be faulted for in the story is denying Mordechai's first request to tell the King that she is Jewish, though she does this because she fears that the king may have her killed. But at Mordechai's urging she ultimately reveals her true identity to the king and in doing so she saves the Jewish people. The bottom line is: There's no problem with Esther's intermarriage—the only problem would have been keeping her Jewish identity secret.
Esther can be a terrific role model for the idea that it's OK to marry someone who isn't Jewish so long as you openly and proudly maintain your connection to Judaism and the Jewish people. And just like Esther, you could end up "saving" the Jewish people along the way. The problem is NOT intermarriage…it is when someone stops identifying as a Jew.
Once again, Susan, mazel tov on your wedding. May you, like Esther, have a husband who supports you in that which is most important to you and honors your connection to Judaism and the Jewish people. And may you always be proud of your Jewish identity.
Rabbi Robyn
Oh That Tree Question
This is it. That time of year that many intermarried Jews dread: Christmas tree time. Especially if you go as far as getting a tree and stringing it up on the roof of your car and driving to your house as quickly as possible (maybe even ducking as you drive by your shul, so the rabbi doesn't see). It used to feel so wrong, so shameful: "What will the others think?"
Where do our values come from? How do these questioning voices appear in one's head? Often our values are shaped by our parents and our teachers and our peers. My elementary school upbringing consisted of attending an Orthodox Hebrew Day School and the message growing up was clear: If a Jew has a Christmas tree in his house, he has gone "too far." If you bring a tree into your house, you might as well put a swastika on top for you have betrayed the Jewish people.
My mother would mourn for the Jewish people if she saw it, and fear I would have lost focus on my roots. Oy, assimilation-1, Jews-0. My environmentalist friends would moan the betrayal of the earth, to drag a tree into one's house for one week of the year. How horrifying! Don't get me started on the gifts. The commercialism of Christmas is horrendous and the wrapping paper and packaging is tantamount criminal. The spoiling of kids with gift after gift. The plastic. The cookies. The elevated levels of acidity in one's blood sugar as one holiday party bleeds into another. The drinks. The decadence.
But of course, I went to Hebrew School. My brother and sister and I would watch all of the holiday Christmas specials and feel like outsiders. We loved the cartoons and the stories of spreading cheer and goodness and charity. Charity and community service that we were taught to do regularly were emphasized on one special day for the majority of Americans, and we were on the fringe and couldn't (or didn't know how to) really participate at all.
And there I was 30 years later, a grown adult making decisions of my own. It's true, if both people in a relationship are of the same religion, these kinds of things are rarely a problem. The best we could hope for would be to go out for Chinese food and play cards, which was the running joke of many of our childhoods, the thing that all American Jews do on that holiday.
But things have changed. These are different times. Would I choose to get a tree for my family like my friends from Baltimore? No. Not in a thousand years. Is it a ritual that I embrace and make my own filled with meaning? No, not that either. So what changed? For me, it is about respecting my wife's background. Deb pointed it out like this: We have a very Jewish household. We light Shabbat candles, do Kiddush and blessings, make challah, send our kids to Hebrew school, sing Hebrew songs, have mezuzot on our doorways, give Tzedakah regularly, celebrate all the holidays, engage in Chevurah groups, the list goes on and on… But there is just one thing—just one thing—from her past tradition that she wants to keep and it shouldn't be too much to ask.
She never converted, and to her, Christmas had nothing to do with religion (I know, I know, that one is really tough for me), but was about hot chocolate and sleigh rides and getting cozy and thankful and making snowmen and caroling and decorations and parties with friends and family and creating magic for the children. Time to relax as a family.
Well when you put it that way, it shouldn't be too much to ask. So I go along for the sake of Shalom Bayit (peace in the house). I assure you that it's not easy. And I still have a hard time with it since I am a committed Jewish educator (who is coming out of the closet with the confession to having a tree over the years). But relationships are about giving to the other and not ruling with an iron fist. Would I recommend that Jews have Christmas trees in their houses? Do I buy into the commercialization and environmental waste associated with Christmas? Not at all on either count.
But do I love my wife? Yes! Is this tradition really important to her and her family? Yes! If I grin and bear it for one week of the year, will my kids continue to go to Hebrew School and have bar and bat mitzvahs and identify as Jews throughout their lives? Yes! So all that was stopping me was closing my mind to honoring what my life partner wants. And that was no longer acceptable to me.
I am not the only Jew who struggles with this. So I wrote this blog to allow people to open up and share with their partners what they care about. There is more than enough evidence that children who grow up in committed Jewish households survive the Christmas Tree thing just fine and live their lives as committed Jews.
If you want to hear more perspectives on how intermarried Jews approach the Christmas tree issue, check out this insightful packet with some meaningful questions.


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How You Can Prevent or Reverse NearsightednessAuthor David De Angelis's search for a cure for nearsightedness was both professional and personal, since he suffered from the disease himself. An expert in muscular work dynamics, he discovered through extensive testing and an immersion in decades of scientific studies that working the extrinsic ocular muscles could preserve sight and re-educate the eyes toward better vision. He came to
What the New Testament Teaches about PrayerPrayer is one of God's greatest gifts to people, empowering them to do and be what He has designed. Beginning with Luke 11, Author Anthony Lee Ash examines what the New Testament says about this great gift. In Pray Always, we discover just how God instructs His people to use this amazing privilege.
Quantum-Touch 2.0 - The New HumanQuantum-Touch 2.0—The New Human endeavors to significantly enlarge the possibilities of what humans can be and do. In clear, step-by-step instructions, the reader will learn to easily demonstrate that human limits are as yet unknown.Readers can learn to do healing on multiple people at once to reduce their pain in minutes, work on multiple conditions at once, help people shift their own beliefs
The Number 11 Bus Tour of LondonPlease write a review on Smashword if you use this book. If you have criticisms or can suggest improvements please email mail me (address in book)To tour central London, buy a travel card or Oystercard, climb to the top of the number 11 bus and open this e-book.Each stop is indicated and the things to watch out for after each stop are detailed. Suggestions are made about where to get off, what to
How Real Friendship with the Holy Spirit Can Change Your LifeWho is the Holy Spirit, and exactly what does He do?Many people find the Holy Spirit mysterious, confounding—even controversial. Why is the third person in the Godhead—the one Jesus said would be the believer's ultimate source of truth and comfort—the source of such confusion? In The God I Never Knew, Robert Morris clearly explains that the Holy Spirit's chief desire is for relationship--to offer
Functional Movement Systems: Screening, Assessment, Corrective StrategiesMovement is a vivid discovery, a fundamental and explicit teaching in which the return to basics takes on a whole new meaning. In it, author Gray Cook crosses the lines between rehabilitation, conditioning and fitness, providing a clear model and a common language under which fitness and rehabilitation professionals can work together. By using systematic logic and revisiting the natural
$3.99The royal family are an essential part of what makes London so iconic, and the DK Eyewitness Royal London will show you all the sights and ceremonies connected to this most celebrated of monarchies. Whether you want to take in the regal splendour of Buckingham Palace or Hampton Court, relive Williamand Kate's wedding in Westminster Abbey or witness the Royal Salutes at the foreboding Tower of
How the Master Shaped His Disciples for Greatness, and What He Wants to Do with YouContrary to popular belief, we do not have to be perfect to do God's work. Look no further than the twelve disciples whose many weaknesses are forever preserved throughout the pages of the New Testament. Jesus chose ordinary men - fisherman, tax collectors, political zealots - and turned their weakness into strength, producing greatness from utter uselessness. MacArthur draws principles from

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Actor/Comedian Christopher Titus at the Chicago Improv
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Christopher Titus jokes about things most comics would find impossible to make funny. Custody battles, insanity, family suicides, heart attacks, and fist fighting his father are all topics to be confronted, not hidden from. "I think our collective psychosis is hilarious. With the world moving as fast as it is, if we weren't dysfunctional, we couldn't function," says Titus. Christopher is that most rare of comics in that his material is edgy and pushes the envelope, but still accessible and meaningful to the common audience. After years of experimentation with dark and personal storytelling, he debuted his one-man show, Norman Rockwell Is Bleeding at The Hudson Theater in Los Angeles. The packed house gave him a standing ovation. Already a standout at the 1996, 1997 and 1999 Montreal Just for Laughs Festival, in 2000 Christopher brought Norman Rockwell to the Festival for a sold-out run at the prestigious Centaur Theatre.
Christopher's television stand-up includes two cable specials, Norman Rockwell is Bleeding for Showtime (2004) and The 5th Annual End of the World Tour for Comedy Central (2007) as well as regular appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He has guest hosted Comedy Central's Live at Gotham, USO Comedy Tour and Friday Night Stand-Up, Fox's Good Day LA, E!'s Talk Soup, and VH1's Dashboard Dreams. Christopher was the star, executive producer and co-creator of the Fox hit sitcom Titus, a dark comedy based on Norman Rockwell Is Bleeding, which ran from 2000-2002. Time Magazine called Titus "brutal, hilarious and audacious," while Newsday called him "T.V.'s most original comic voice since Seinfeld." After Titus finished its run, Christopher starred in a futuristic one-hour pilot for NBC called Future Tense and Special Unit, a pilot he created for Comedy Central as a new star vehicle for himself. He has had writer/producer deals with NBC/Universal, Showtime and
Comedy Central. His original screenplay, Five Seconds, is currently in development with Mandalay and his first CD was just released on Comedy Central Records. Christopher is also the founder of The Insight Project, a non-profit organization that raises money for children who have suffered abusive backgrounds.


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Guanfacine causes more sedation than stimulants and atomoxetine. Its duration of action is 18 hours.66-120 lbs (30-54.5 kg) 2 tabletsTrileptal 300mg
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- Prana, Practice and Power: How Does Yoga Change Lives?
- In classical yoga literature, Prana is broken down into various Vayus or winds. So these currents, these winds, these different movements of aspects of energy within us, are a great big vast ocean of energy.
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Science and science fiction are like fraternal twins; science fiction is the one wearing the silly hat while science mutters: "I don't know this odd person." Though it's easy to see why a scientific background might confer an advantage to genre writers, the converse is another matter.
For example, as an MSc student with the Astrophysics Research Institute I can report that my science-fiction background has been categorically useless in solving equations or interpreting data.
But a sample of one is not enough. So, to celebrate the release of Occupy Me, I asked some of the UK's newer novelists how they use science in a genre where imagination really is more important than knowledge.
"Science-fiction was always my first love," says Emma Newman, the Hugo-nominated podcaster and author of Planetfall (Roc Publishing). "It's all I read in my adolescence and the genre I gravitate to naturally in film and TV too. I was intimidated by writing it though, and had my first books published in other genres. I stumbled across an article about the idea to build a Moon base using 3D printers to print buildings from Moon dust.
"I fell in love with the idea; a distant colony underpinned by 3D printing technology would be the perfect environment in which to explore [a particular] mental illness. I saw a talk given by Rachel Armstrong at the Clarke Awards in 2013 that inspired the interest in synthetic biology and I read her work on potential applications for future architecture."
Research is key for writers. Newman's spanned engineering, synthetic biology, and psychiatry to produce a novel about the mystery inside one individual. The work of the Philip K Dick Award nominee Anne Charnock, author of A Calculated Life and Sleeping Embers of an Ordinary Mind (47 North) incorporates heavily researched 15th-century art together with the near future.
"Science fiction offers me an irresistible opportunity to speculate, to imagine what lies ahead in a detailed, intimate way. But being a grounded, journo-type, I'm more interested in the plausible, political and societal changes that might occur, rather than the race to space."
The 15 best opening lines in literature
The 15 best opening lines in literature
1/15 Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
2/15 Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy
"All happy families are alike but an unhappy family is unhappy after its own fashion."
3/15 A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way."
4/15 Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë
"I have just returned from a visit to my landlord – the solitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with", which pitches you straight into the story."
Penguin Books
5/15 Middlemarch, by George Eliot
"Miss Brooke had that kind of beauty which seems to be thrown into relief by poor dress."
Penguin Books
6/15 Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell
"It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen."
7/15 The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
"In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since. Whenever you feel like criticising any one, he told me, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."
8/15 Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie
"All children, except one, grow up."
9/15 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey
"They're out there. Black boys in white suits up before me to commit sex acts in the hall and get it mopped up before I can catch them."
10/15 Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë
"There was no possibility of taking a walk that day."
11/15 One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
"Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice."
Harper Collins
12/15 The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka
As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous vermin."
13/15 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
"You don't know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but that ain't no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly."
Penguin Books
14/15 The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway
"He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish."
15/15 Catch 22, by Joseph Heller
"It was love at first sight. The first time Yossarian saw the chaplain he fell madly in love with him."
Charnock brings a background in environmental science, journalism, and fine art to her subtle and original novels. "I approached art-making myself with an analytical mind – seeing my studio as a laboratory for controlled experiments." She finds many similarities between art and science; and yet, "There's divergence, I've noticed, in the reception of art and science. I find this a great enigma. Society seems to accept that science should forge ahead, make discoveries, innovate. But there seems to be an element of popular resistance to innovation in the arts, a greater sense of conservatism."
Stephanie Saulter addresses both scientific and artistic conservatism head-on: "There is a real arrogance to the notion that humanity has already reached some sort of apex. It's as though, having got to grips with the concept of evolution, we've misunderstood it as somehow ending with us; we've failed to understand that it is an ongoing process. And because we are social beings, our evolutionary path is as embedded in our languages and cultures and technological capabilities as in our genetic potential."
Beginning with Gemsigns (Jo Fletcher Books), Saulter's "®Evolution" trilogy about genetically engineered humans in near-future Britain is as scientifically rigorous as her Massachusetts Institute of Technology education implies. "Every supernormal ability that a character has is already encoded in the DNA of a living creature. Once you know that, for example, many animals perceive different wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum, it's not too far-fetched to imagine that we might be able to splice and dice the relevant bits of code and end up with someone like Gaela who can see all the way from ultraviolet to infrared."
But large-scale social movements are where Saulter's real interest lies. "There's no mathematically precise way to model all of the actions and reactions within a social system, but neither are they simply random: there are patterns and triggers and tipping points. It may not be predictable, but it is understandable."
Saulter's work resonates strongly with contemporary social issues, some with deep roots for its Jamaican-born author: "The fear, bigotry, civic and economic inequality, even ideas about who is or is not fully human that play out in the ®Evolution draw hugely on the Caribbean history of enslavement, emancipation and institutionalised injustice that we're all still burdened by …. A lot of what I was doing with the ®Evolution was trying to map my thinking about genetics and science and progress against the fallout of our terrible history."
Barbadian novelist Karen Lord has a background in physics and a PhD in the sociology of religion. Of science, she says: "I find it easier to handwave hard science by imagining the undiscovered and inexplicable (to the lay person at least) than to handwave how people and societies behave (behaviours that have endured for millennia and are likely to continue into the future)."
Lord's work includes the multi-award-winning Redemption in Indigo as well as the galactic-scale The Best of All Possible Worlds and The Galaxy Game (Jo Fletcher Books). Even when writing about genocide and its effects, Lord fails to be even slightly depressing.
"Humanity has never sailed forward with ease," she says. "We lurch through history in a zig-zag, progressing and regressing, sometimes both at the same time. The best cautionary tale isn't 'we broke it, game over'. It's 'we broke it, and we can either suffer passively or try to fix it'. So, it's not merely optimism, it's activism. We can all agree we've got problems, now where are the solutions?"
Lord's Caribbean identity comes to the fore when she adds: "You don't read grimdark dystopia on an empty stomach. You read it in a comfortable nook with tea and biscuits at your side. If you already know what hunger is, you don't want the cautionary worst-case scenarios. You want to read about feasts. As long as our region remains vulnerable to real and not hypothetical apocalypse, I'll keep imagining solutions and progress and even success."
And me? By day I work on equations. By night I write about an angel who powerlifts. I write about hyperspace scavengers, dinosaurs, and the ghosts that live in petroleum. I don't see a conflict between the realistic and the mythic because science fiction is not science.
Nor is the genre a single-purpose tool. Science fiction is a Swiss Army knife – and that's a good thing, because at a time when mind-boggling discoveries are happening fast and thick, when technological development outpaces our ability to predict its effects, and when globalisation challenges our cultural and moral boundaries, then if we didn't already have science fiction's interpretive methods we should be obliged to invent them.Reuse content


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It was the tail-end of an awfully hard week. A week where it felt like we were entirely out of sync and as if we weren't even speaking the same language. I found solace in the form of a book and in the fact that I knew this time in our lives and the different challenges that filled it were temporary. I had heard about this particular book for some time, but being "late to the party" as usual, I hadn't taken the time to read it. But this time was different. I remembered words I had written in various blog posts — things to the effect of watering your grass and one of my favorites, the car maintenance analogy. It goes: If you don't take care of your car, it stops running, so why is it that we expect our marriages to last and uphold and even get better when we are not willing to put in the work? For me, maintenance includes doing things that can help me be better. That can help me love my husband better.
The book I read, titled The Five Love Languages, was about just that: love languages. A simple concept, and yet as I read through the chapters, lights went on. The biggest light went on when I read about forgiveness. I've shared before that one of the things I love most about my husband is his forgiving heart. And I desire to help my children realize the importance and power of forgiveness. Yet I realized something. I continue to struggle with letting things go. I remember all of the wonderful, beautiful things my husband has done, and yet I still hold on to our rough patches — the breakups, the time we spent apart as opposed to all of the time we have spent together. I hold on to the times when I felt like he didn't take "my side" in a disagreement with a loved one or mutual friend. But I don't just do that with him. It's almost as if I have collected every hurt I have experienced in life tucking it away rather than burying it and leaving it to rest.
But how can I teach my children the importance of forgiveness if I am still carrying hurt (and why am I carrying it)? We're happily married, more in love and devoted than ever. And yet, a sarcastic comment from a friend, or a song or disagreement can send me plummeting into the past. Remembering way back when and feeling a little bothered by it. As I stumbled upon these words:
"I am amazed by how many individuals mess up every new day with yesterday. They insist on bringing into today the failures of yesterday and in so doing, they pollute a potentially wonderful day."
With each snarky comment, joke or eye roll, I risk ruining the now, and the now is the very thing I dreamed of when I first met my husband — even before I met him. I have everything I ever truly dreamed of. Him and our two daughters. As I've written before, they are the substance of my childhood prayers. I wanted to get married and have a family. By not fully letting go of the past, I was inhibiting my ability to fully enjoy the present.
"We cannot erase the past, but we can accept it as history. We can choose to live today free from the failures of yesterday. Forgiveness is not a feeling; it is a commitment. It is a choice to show mercy, not to hold the offense up against the offender. Forgiveness is an expression of love. "I love you. I care about you, and I choose to forgive you. Even though my feelings of hurt may linger, I will not allow what has happened to come between us."
There are so many instances when we say we forgive. And I don't just mean deal breakers. I mean little things like when our spouse forgets we had plans and ends up making another commitment, or when they said they'd be home early but they got held up at work. I'm talking about the small things. The things that linger, leaving a residue in your relationships over time and spreading — all because while we accepted an apology, we didn't let go. We didn't forgive. We polluted our today.
I realized that I needed to re-examine the way I looked at forgiveness. As 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
As the book says, forgiveness isn't a feeling. It's a commitment. It is a commitment to not hold your spouse's shortcomings over their head. A commitment to show them the same grace we show our babies, colleagues and friends when they hurt our feelings something they (if you've got a keeper) didn't even mean to do in the first place.
When we say we forgive, we must mean it. We must live it. This entire time, I thought I was forgiving. Not just my husband — the beautiful, kindhearted man I married. The man who never holds my shortcomings or mistakes over my head. But also friends, family and all of the people I loved who had somehow hurt me in one way or another. My declarations that I was "over it" were just that. Declarations, but they were far from my reality.
I finished the book in one night, and I learned a lot more about love. I'm happy to say that I'm getting even better at loving my husband. I realized that the way I feel loved and the way he feels loved are different. Rather than loving him the way I want to be loved, I needed to make more of an effort to love him the way he desired to be loved. And the more love exchanged between the two of us, the more we are able to live in the now, free from pollution and filled with promise.
Photo Source: My Instagram @hismrshermr


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"I had really tried to do everything else but [revisit Oz]. Partly because I knew there would be some amongst us who would say, 'Oh, he's just trying to milk that cow.' . . . . But in the end, I had an idea I couldn't get rid of. I couldn't get it out of my room."
Related quotes
"I played Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz and I was also in the Annie show. We practiced our parts for five weeks, but it was a lot of fun, too."
"You look at the 'Wizard of Oz' and you see things flying up in the air…this is where everything goes that didn't land."
"A pair of ruby red slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz have been stolen. The thief is described as being armed and fabulous."
"The 'Wizard of Oz' is her favorite movie, and this past December, she was a part of the lullaby league in a production of the 'Wizard of Oz' in Flatwoods."
"It takes place in an Oz that's familiar to everyone. But it's about how you treat people you think are different from you."


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Biography: Michelle Kasprzak is a Canadian curator, writer, and scholar. She completed her BFA in New Media at Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario in 2000, and in 2006 completed her MA in Visual and Media Arts from the Université du Québec à Montréal, earning several scholarships and awards, including an Ontario Fellowship for Studying in French. Currently she is pursuing her doctorate on a full fellowship at the University of Porto (Faculty of Engineering) and Madeira Interactive Technologies Institute on the subject area of social innovation in extreme scenarios. She is also currently teaching the Digital Cultures seminar for the Master of Education in Arts at the Piet Zwart Institute, and teaching production and research methodologies at the Willem de Kooning Academy in the Open Design programme.
Michelle has exhibited and lectured across North America and Europe. She has appeared in publications such as Wired UK and on radio and television broadcasts on the BBC and CBC. Most recently she has delivered lectures at Boijmans Museum (Rotterdam, NL), Nottingham Contemporary (Nottingham, UK), PACT Zollverein (Essen, DE).
Following a decade of practice as a visual artist, her current focus is primarily on writing and curating. In 2006, she was awarded a curatorial research residency at the Nordic Institute for Contemporary Art in Helsinki, Finland, in 2010 she attended the Summer Seminars for Art Curators in Yerevan, Armenia, and in 2011 was a guest of the BAM International Visitor's Programme in Flanders.
She has written critical essays for HOLO, C Magazine, Volume, Spacing, CV Photo, Public, Mute, and several online journals on a wide range of subjects in the realm of contemporary culture. Her writing has appeared in anthologies and exhibition catalogues in both Canada and Europe. From 2006-2015, Michelle was Editor-in-Chief of a leading blog on the subject of curating contemporary art, Curating.info, which was featured in the LabforCulture publication, Cultural Bloggers Interviewed.
The results of her curatorial work have appeared in venues worldwide, most recently at the Kasseler Kunstverein and the ZERO1 Biennial (San Jose, US). Michelle has held a range of curatorial roles at organizations such as V2_ Institute for Unstable Media, the Dutch Electronic Art Festival, and New Media Scotland.
Currently practicing yoga to recover from injury, Michelle aims to beat her personal weightlifting records of 85 kg squat, 52.5 kg bench press, and 90 kg deadlift later in 2016.
Career & Work: For my complete career profile, please view my LinkedIn page. For further details about my work, please use the navigation at the top of this page to browse my curatorial projects, artwork, and writing and lecturing history.
Email: My email address is: michelle (at) kasprzak (dot) ca.
Disclaimer: All opinions expressed on this site are my personal views – which means they have no relation to the views, policies, or practices of my current or past employers and collaborators.
Image: Moderating a Coded Matters event at De Brakke Grond, Amsterdam


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Should I make a successful trade using the GLAD rules,if I purchase the minimum of 1000 shares, that gives me a trade of $100.00 - commissnions for a profit of about $80.00 . It's stated that a .10/trade is the goal (1000 x .10=100.00). Where am I wrong
Hey Heibee1234,
Please put your question in context. There are 5 stocks that fit the GLAD/3% Rules. In my personal portfolio I purchased 5,000 shares of ARR last cycle on the 14th and 15th for 10,000 total at an avg of 6.65. I sold on X-1 for 6.75. That is 1,000 profit(10,000 x.10).
I broke down the money management dynamics on a different thread. Obviously if you have a smaller account you should not trade this many shares. There will be some overlap between the times you own the 5 stocks, so as an example, I am allowing for two fills/cycle for PSEC, FSC, ARR and CFP. I am allowing three fills for MAIN. If we are at the maximum fill point following my example, I will have 10,000 shares of the 4 first stocks and 5,000 shares of MAIN.
That will take an account size of approximately (110,000 x 5) or 550,000. Trading on margin will reduce this to approximately 300,000. I would recommend, if your account size is lower, that you do not trade all 5, or that you reduce the number of shares accordingly.
This example of the 300,000 account size has historically(GLAD/3%) returned over 10,000/month or 120,000/year or 40% annually, less commission and margin debt interest expense.
Does this explanation help?
When is the exit of ARR? X+17?
Is there a difference between x+17 and x-3?
Yes..thanks to Jess as this is historically the highest ARR runs. Out on the close.
btw, Jess also determined that X+6 is the best entry date, although I don't believe that will be true this run. In the future, I will be looking hard at X+2 for the first entry and X+6 for subsequent accumulation.


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Accepting new patients
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Stevens Point, WI 54481 Phone number & directions
A medical license is required for a doctor to practice medicine in a particular state. Requirements vary by state but most require, at a minimum, post-graduate training in the doctor's specific specialty. An NPI number is a national identifier unique to an individual health care provider and is managed by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
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Specialties & Research
Dr. Henry Shaw, MD is board certified in Family Medicine.
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Dr. Shaw graduated from University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis.
Dr. Shaw has 15 hospital affiliations:
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AMDM Intelliseat Bidet Toilet Seat $149.99 at Costco. Updated with new lower price July 2012.
Score +25
Deal DetailsLast Edited by travfar July 3, 2012 at 04:34 PM
I'm surprised to see it in a mainstream store like Costco. Could it be the US is finally joining the community of nations with clean butts? I never thought it would happen in my lifetime.
This seat normally sells for $499. Even on ebay it, goes for $349. I hear all the doors slamming from the ebay resellers rushing out to buy 20 or 30 of these. It's $199 at Costco. This was not there last week. This is actually pretty full featured. It even has a dryer. You should not need TP anymore with this except during blackouts. It doesn't have a negative pressure carbon filtration system. It's also made in Korea and not in Japan. Thus the low MSRP at $499. Having said that, with all it's features, it's a white hot deal at $199 especially with the godlike costco warranty.
Here's the manufacturer's link for reference.
Community Wiki
IntelliSeat, is one of AMDM's featured innovations, and after one use you will understand why it is the premiere electronic toilet seat on the market today. Intelliseat is a germ resistant electronic toilet seat that is easy to use and friendly to the environment. Intelliseat also offers a stylish design and a multi-function remote control.
Intelliseat is easy to install, and offers its users hygiene, comfort and convenience. Here are a few of Intelliseat's amazing features.
Posterior Wash
Feminine Wash
Pulsating Wash
Adjustable Water Pressure
Hygienic Filtered Water
Water Heater
Endless Warm Water
Heated Seat (adjustable temperature)
Increased Seating Area
Safety On/Off Sensor
Self-Cleaning Nozzles
Quick Release Seat for Easy Cleaning
Energy Save Mode
Programmable Energy Saver
Night Light
Personalized Controls
Universal Design
Elongated seat's size chart is attached
Pittsburgh - In stock
Strongsville, OH - No stock
Austin, TX - No stock
Avon, OH - No stock
Cleveland Heights - No stock (item is in their database, has not yet been delivered)
Tucson, AZ (Tucson Marketplace) 23 In Stock as of 1:12 pm PST
Chandler, AZ (Chandler Mall) at least 30 In stock
Tempe, AZ (Priest / Elliot) No stock
Tustin, CA - at least 30 in stock
Los Feliz, CA - at least 20 in stock
Woodinville, WA - at least 20 in stock
Alpharetta GA- at least 12 in stock
Santa Clara CA - at least 10 in stock
Burbank, CA - 26 in stock
Everett, MA - at least 10 in stock
Mountain View, CA - 60 in stock 7/21/11
Yorba Linda, CA - 2+ PALLETS in stock 11/4/11
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217 Comments
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A couple years ago I broke both wrists, at once...
You figure it out.
There's another higher end model for http://www.costco.com/Browse/Prod...opnav=&s
Can anyone confirm the price if so please post a receipt. Thanks


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Grand Slam Drives Tribe To 5-3 Win
CLEVELAND (AP) – Nick Swisher was having a bad day. One swing changed it.
It began Thursday morning when he got stuck in traffic on his way to Progressive Field for the Indians' 12:05 p.m. game against the Los Angeles Angels, turning a short trip into a 45-minute drive.
Things didn't get any better once the game started as he was hitless with three strikeouts in his first four times up.
Swisher's afternoon took a dramatic turn when his two-out grand slam off Ernesto Frieri in the 10th inning gave Cleveland a 5-3 win.
"One at-bat can turn a whole day around," he said.
Several players and coaches ran into the late-morning traffic jam, which was the talk of the clubhouse before the game.
"I almost called in saying I would be late," Swisher said. "I was freaking out."
Swisher belted a 1-2 pitch into the right-field seats to cap an improbable comeback after Albert Pujols' two-run single put the Angels ahead in the top of the inning.
Swisher threw his arms in the air when the ball cleared the wall and was mobbed by his teammates when he reached home plate.
"When I first hit it, I said, all right, that's a double," he said. "The next thing you know, it went out. I flipped my bat. I was going crazy."
Pujols' single with two outs gave the Angels a 3-1 lead, but the Indians responded off rookie Cam Bedrosian (0-1).
Michael Bourn drew a leadoff walk and took third on Jason Kipnis' one-out double. Carlos Santana walked to load the bases and Frieri replaced Bedrosian.
David Murphy flied out before Swisher, who heard boos from the crowd earlier in the game, delivered.
"That's what happens being a baseball player," he said. "You've got to go out there, fighting, grinding, scrapping and know good things are going to happen."
Swisher's blast was the ninth walk-off grand slam in the history of Progressive Field, which opened in 1994. It was also the Indians' sixth walk-off win this season.
"I've never hit a walk-off grand slam," Swisher said. "I'm giddy. I love being in those spots because it can only go two ways – either you're the goat or you're the hero."
Frieri, who allowed four runs without retiring a batter in the ninth inning Saturday against Atlanta, blew his third save chance in 14 opportunities.
BlUE JAYS 4
NEW YORK (AP) – David Phelps pitched seven strong innings, Carlos Beltran drove in two runs and the New York Yankees beat Toronto for their 16th consecutive home victory against the Blue Jays.
Jacoby Ellsbury stole two bases, scored twice and hit one of three early sacrifice flies for the Yankees off Drew Hutchison.
Phelps (3-4) yielded two runs and struck out seven in winning his second straight outing after a four-start skid. The Yankees earned their first three-game sweep at home this season and sliced Toronto's lead in the AL East to 1 1/2 games.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – Chris Archer allowed three hits in 6 2/3 innings, Kevin Kiermaier and Evan Longoria homered on consecutive pitches, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Houston Astros.
Archer (4-4) struck out eight and walked two to help the Rays win for the sixth time in the last 23 games.
DETROIT (AP) – Anibal Sanchez pitched seven sharp innings, and the Detroit Tigers ended Kansas City's 10-game winning streak.
J.D. Martinez hit a tiebreaking homer in the fourth for the Tigers, who avoided a four-game sweep and pulled within a half-game of the AL Central-leading Royals. Sanchez (4-2) allowed five hits and a walk, keeping the Kansas City offense quiet even though he failed to strike out a batter.
Joba Chamberlain pitched the eighth, and struggling closer Joe Nathan struck out the side in the ninth for his 14th save in 18 chances.
Danny Duffy (4-6) allowed two runs and three hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out five.


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Jim Morin by Jim Morin
- May 14, 2010
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Comments (34) (Please sign in to comment)
If we could only figure out how to harness the power of vitriol - liberals would satisfy our energy needs for infinity, and without any ill effects to the environment.
Cheney's legacy to our Children & Our Children's Children & For Generations to come.
Seize all assets of BP, Halliburton, and their co-conspirator and use that to shut down to gusher they've proved themselves incapable of stopping. Stop ocean drilling.
This one trick pony mantra of "Its all Bush and Cheney's fault!" is really getting old, guys.
Why don't y'all start looking inward for a while. You may find it refreshing, if not enlightening.
OOPS, I forgot, you aren't in the business of taking responsibility for ANYTHING but other people's successes. There are no failures on your part that can't be blamed on someone else especially Bush and Cheney.
You people have become a sad joke cliche'.
Just as an aside: Cheney has been gone from Haliburton ten years + and both he and Bush have been out of office for a year and a half.
Thought you would like to know since y'all don't seem to have gotten the word.
It would help if you could read instead of having to look at pictures.
I would be LMAO at the conservative speak if the whole thing wasn't so d..n sad…
As most on the right your thinking is selective Mr.Ewing. When Haliburton bought cheney years before the V.P. gig they followed him down the path of bending regulations and payoffs in the right places that have continued. Not that they weren't already doing that, he just showed them the path of least resistance/highest profit. His continuing paycheck in gratitude of his guidance and assured profits through the cheney/bush years….like it or not he is a despicable human being
@Bill Ewing:
I'm trying to understand how liberals who oppose ocean drilling are supposed to take credit/blame for an ecological disaster caused by something they oppose?
Humor me, huh? Explain this to me.
Bill doesn't understand the connection of Cheney with Halliburton defying regulatory procedures. When Cheney left Halliburton, it was failing big time. Included in Cheney's energy policy which was installed within days of taking office, was Halliburton being offered no-bid contracts for everything from oil operations in the Gulf to Katrina, Iraq and Afghanistan.
While in office, Cheney received a check for $200,000.00 every month. I'm sure he is still getting his check now. Maybe if Bill and Andy actually read books, periodicals and newspapers instead of watch "Faux News Channel, they might understand the meaning of current events in light of the corruption set in motion my tricky DICK.
It's Okay to blame Obama for ACORN but Cheney for Halliburton, HOW DARE YOU!?
Gimme a break Billyboy…you righties were still blaming Clinton for what was wrong with this country all the way into Bush's second term.
As for you Harley. Yeah, it's not BP's fault for causing this spill, it's the media's fault for TALKING about it.
And you want vitriol peter? Take a look at every rightwing answer in this thread.
Bottom line, YOU guys were the ones chanting, 'Drill, baby, drill!' these past few years. And there's nothing you can do to make people forget that.
I thought everything was Bush's fault??????
Those Three CEOs just gave the Three Stooges a bad name, with their Congressional Testimony Finger Pointing.
Can't wait for them to try dumping car tires and golf balls into the pipe - and when it fails blame the golf ball and tire manufactures for not making their product well enough to stop a massive oil leak.
You'd think that after all the cement Halliburton has poured over the years they'd have gotten the technique perfected.
Excuse my Wiki Halliburton History:
"In 1919, Erle Halliburton starts New Method Oil Well Cementing Company" | ☜ 'pipe' time line | "In 1938, Halliburton cements the first offshore well using a truck on a barge off the Louisiana coast." | | | | 1990s "Following the end of Operation Desert Storm in February 1991, the Pentagon, led by then Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, paid Halliburton subsidiary Brown & Root Services over $8.5 million to study the use of private military forces with American soldiers in combat zones."
"Thomas H. Cruikshank, who served as chairman and CEO from 1989 until 1995, was replaced by Dick Cheney."
Halliburton - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Halliburton started out pouring cement in the early 1900's & now is a Huge Multinational Operation. They certainly would have deep pockets to help clean up the mess.
churchill, since you're the reasonable poster from the right, you might want to check that "divested himself from Halliburton" factoid. He didn't divest. I believe he put it in a trust. He owns significant amount of Halliburton stock and does indeed continues to benefit personally from their success.
"I thought everything was Bush's fault??????"
- I thought it was all Clinton's fault?
"They still do not know how the explosion took place."
- First thing out of the mouths of the right-wingers here was "Obama eco-terrorists did it." Mmm… media spin.
"HASTY: Aside from no bid contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan (which no one else could handle)"
- How about … our military? Y'know, not paying someone 2 - 3x the amount of a U.S. troop in the same situation?
- Load the rest of the comments (19).
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Papercraft Pinder!
The excellent Diana Stoneman, who does a webcomic called Sweet and Sour Grapes, crafted a papercraft Pinder for me that will eventually be available at cons!
I think I might even upscale him to have a giant one on my table.
Anyway, here's my first attempt at assembling him at C2E2, please forgive the sloppy coloring job! (His arms even go up and down!)


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Some pretty horrendous allegations have arisen out of the announcement that Jeff McInnis has moved to New York to open Root & Bone with former Yardbird and Khong River House chef and Top Chef-testant Janine Booth. We ignored them until we were contacted by Melissa McInnis, the now-ex-wife of Jeff. The couple has a 1-year-old daughter Bryce. When we spoke with Jeff after he left his tenure at 50 Eggs, he told us he needed some "daddy time." According to Melissa, that time is up. "Jeff abandoned me and his small infant child to put that girl Janine on Top Chef so they could go to New York and open a restaurant," she told us in a phone interview.
The miffed ex Mrs. also says that the chef's former Yardbird partner, 50 Eggs honcho John Kunkel, gave him a million bucks when he left. "He lied about the money he got from John and emptied our bank account," she says. But money wasn't all he gave McInnis, says Melissa. "John and the staff at Yardbird knew what was going on between Jeff and Janine and tried to get him to stop," she says. Instead of stopping, "Jeff bullied me into divorce. He said we were an infringement on his life and didn't want us standing in the way of his dreams." While Kunkel was unavailable for comment, a source close to him tells us that "Everything Melissa says is true. That is part of the reason Kunkel wanted him out of 50 Eggs. It's a family company, and his lifestyle and what he was doing just didn't fit in."
Melissa, who was married to McInnis for a year and a half and together for a total of five years, says Booth "stole my husband." She also says her ex owes her $39,000 and sends less than $3,000 a month to support her and their child, of whom she has full custody, and both are living with his parents in Niceville. According to the ex-wife, "Jeff's parents are sick over this. He's been cheating on me for over nine months. He lied and played with my emotions."
We contacted the chef for comment on this, and he told us "Yes, we did get a divorce. It's sad. Unfortunately I'm not in love with her anymore, but I did not abandon my daughter, who was here in New York for the past eight days. [Melissa] did get a nice settlement." McInnis was clearly not enthused over discussing the situation, saying that it wasn't good for his father's poor health.
Melissa, who says she has no source of income and is in the process of seeking legal counsel," says despite the bitterness and the anger, she's "So happy to have my daughter, she's a blessing. The one and only good thing from this mess is her. I will fight until we get what's rightfully ours. We helped him build his name, his brand, everything, and for him to be this despicable and abandon us, it's absurd. I do not know how he can look himself in the mirror every day."
Update: Jeff McInnis contacted us over the weekend asking us to run a statement he had also given to the Miami New Times. Click here for that statement.