JEWISH WOMEN'S STORIES, SPIRITUALITY, & WELL-BEING

The euphoria has certainly waned a little. The claim that it was all over, was hard to believe then- and certainly hasn't proven out. We still have too many bodies waiting to be returned home. H*mas, as usual, is playing d*ngerous games. They have no intention of putting down their we*pons, nor relinquishing their governance of G*za. And as overjoyed as we are to welcome our live h*stages home, we are now only beginning the process of hearing their stories, which are more h*r

740 days. That’s how long it took for Inbar Hayman to come home from G*za. She didn't come back the way we wanted her to, returned in a coffin. But back to her rightful resting place. Inbar was 27. A graffiti artist known as PINK, she filled walls with color and courage. Her art was defiant in that it was public, bright, & free. The kind of beauty you can’t cage. And maybe that’s why her story hits so deep: because everything about her life was about expression, and everythin

The speeches are over. The mood is here is high. People smiling and congratulating each other in the streets. Shopkeepers wishing their customers “chag cherut Sameach!” A holiday of freedom, indeed. We can’t believe what we’re watching. The reunifications we never thought possible. Mothers screaming with ecstasy at their son’s faces, paler and gaunter than they remember, but home. Home. It all feels so grand. So miraculous. So enormously like a moment of change and positivity

This is not the first time, but I pray that it is the last. The hours and minutes tick by, till the release of the live hostages- they say that perhaps even tonight they will be brought home. Perhaps Ham*s now rushes them out like Pharoah, eager to be gone with them. I wonder, they are not known for their equanimity nor thoughtfulness. Before there were ceremonies and the cruelty of fanfare, now it feels like the curse they brought upon themselves afflicts them and sends our

Of course the night before the release of the last of our hostages is Hoshana Raba. Where we stay up all night and learn, in preparation for the final seal of judgement of this season of return. With the releases slated to potentially begin tomorrow from 4-6 am; who could sleep? So we stay awake — hearts open, eyes heavy, souls alive. Because this is the night when everything still hangs in the balance. When the gates are almost closed but not yet locked. When the verdict is

No rational person would ever trust H*mas. I don't trust our government either, nor America's, nor any other country on Earth. I don't trust the news, and most of the time, what's reported isn't true or is twisted in lies. The only one I really want to hear from is God. My Abba, Eric Lankin , always says that here in Israel, prayer is a local call. We are sitting at the feet of the kisei hakavod and it feels like Hashem spoke to us today. I didn't believe the news last week t

As we opened the boxes of our sukkah decorations this year, I pulled out the banner we hung last Sukkot for the h*stages- the one we...

May you be so beleagured, so exhausted that you soften your hearts and let our people go. May you have to face the consequences of your...

Dear Me, Tomorrow is Yom Kippur and there are things that I need to say. First, I want to apologize. I am sorry for the times when I was...

It’s not about whether you agreed with him. You don’t have to have liked his politics or his style. You don’t have to share his values,...