Why Thanksgiving is this Jewish girl's favorite holiday...

Ever since I was a little girl, there was no doubt what my favorite holiday was. Thanksgiving. Now, I would say that it really is a tie for number one... Thanksgiving tied with Purim. Now Purim was special because I was born on Purim in a leap year, meaning I was born in Adar II, when we add a whole extra month. So Purim always held a special place in my heart. But why Thanksgiving?Thanksgiving. A quintessential American holiday. A holiday that represents America and apple pie and all things patriotic. Maybe this doesn't seem odd to you but you should know that my family is a little bit old country. Yes, we have been in America for many generations but Judaism always came first for us. Our family gatherings were always focused around Jewish holidays or Shabbat... except for Thanksgiving.Being an outcast, being different, being that Jew kid in school did not do much for my cool factor. Not celebrating Xmas or telling my English teacher that the crucifix she hung in the classroom violated my rights did not endear me to my peers... but Thanksgiving... oh Thanksgiving was the one time of year that we were just like everyone else!The turkey, the pies, visiting my father's family in Rhode Island and my mother's family in NYC, watching the parade, hearing my cousins talk about football... it was almost like I fit in! Not to mention that getting to travel out of Florida and see the leaves change and the snow fall gave me instant street cred on the playground.I was... normal for a moment. I fit in. I had the American experience. It was one time I didn't have to explain what I was celebrating and why and what I was eating!But the thing is, I don't mind all that. I don't mind explaining why I don't eat pork or milk and meat together or why I wear skirts or make matzah pizza for a week in April(ish). I love sharing my Judaism with everyone around me. I was telling someone about the struggles I had growing up in a place where I did not fit in nor feel welcome and he looked at me and said, "I bet that made you the strong person you are today."He is right. It did. And while Thanksgiving will always be my favorite holiday and my heart is full of amazing memories of the past 30 Thanksgivings, I will still treasure being different and a little odd. Why? Because kiruv and chinuch (outreach and education) is something that is so ingrained in me, something that I am passionate about.It's okay to want to share traditions and it's okay to enjoy things that are maybe out of the scope of Judaism or your religion, just as it is okay to share new concepts or ideas with people who may have never encountered a Jew before. Trust me... they are out there... I've met a lot of them!So at this time of thanks giving, I am thankful for the opportunity to educate and reach out to those who need clarity and information. I am thankful for the many beautiful years with my extended family in Rhode Island and I am thankful to get to go again this year. I am thankful for my whole family but most especially, my immediate family. I am thankful for my job that let's me help Jews all over the world and also help the less fortunate in Colorado. I am thankful for my life and health and dear friends.And I am thankful to you, my readers!

Happy Thanksgiving.

The Pride of a Daughter

I am so very proud of my family. Now, we may be crazy but I am still very proud of my whole family.But this post is about my father. My father, my tatti, my abbasama, is a very special guy. He was always pretty slow to anger. Never hit us, rarely spanked us, and I was only grounded once... when I was 5... and I walked to the next-door neighbor's house without telling them... and she couldn't see me in the peephole because I was too little... I was "lost" for about 15 minutes.All of my parents are extraordinary but my pops, he's pretty incredible. His logic and gentle Aikedo way of raising my brother and I has shaped us into who we are today. He is grammatically stringent (like his father) but never mean. Patient to a fault and an incredible snuggler.However, something happened recently that made my little girl emotions well up and pride spill out in my tears.He sent me a pdf of his book to proof.It is both awe and awww inspiring.As I read the stories contained within his book, I was drawn back to times with my father. Special moments, dinner tables, synagogue events where the Ya'ir, the mythical rabbi (who I believe was my father in a previous fictional life), made appearances. His stories taught us the real meanings of holidays and observances. Of how they look to those on the outside looking in and those of us on the inside looking deeper. His lessons enabled me to teach and share our historical traditions with friends in ways that they could understand.One of the most exciting parts of seeing my father's stories in print is that I know I will be able to share this with my children and grandchildren, on and on, forever. All of our decedents will know of these stories.  They will know of the gentle way of their great great grandfather... and that excites me. We have been researching our family tree and the lack of information makes me sad. I have been pushing my father to document his memories for years because I don't want that to disappear. This book will be the manifestation of just one twig of our collective history. Reading his voice will always be something that I will have.I owe a lot to my tatti, my dad. The lifelong supporter, the unabashed lovebug, the passionate and compassionate father who instilled in me a passion for alliteration and abhorrence at ending a sentence with a preposition.SO stay posted. Keep checking back because I will post a link when the book is available. I hope you and yours will enjoy these stories as much as my brother and I did.

A Whirlwind Tishrei

Last Tishrei I wrote about my adventures, traveling and getting settled in Israel. It was an incredible time for me. I was embarking on an extraordinary journey into myself and my Judaism.This Tishrei has been markedly different. I am back in the states, working hard for the Jewish community and have a lot going on. But I forced myself to stop and reflect this year as Rosh Hashanah approached and then Yom Kippur. We moved into Sukkot feeling fresh and ready to handle the new year... and then I was truly caught by surprise. I saw grumblings on Twitter that Gilad Shalit, the boy who was kidnapped in a cross border raid by Hamas FIVE YEARS AGO, was going home.Insert Jaw Drop Here.I just couldn't believe it. I walked past the tent where his parents sat, outside the Prime Minister's house in Jerusalem, so many times.We tied yellow ribbons on our backpacks. We wore Free Gilad t-shirts. We tweeted the days, hours, minutes he had been held as a kidnapped prisoner. We begged Hamas to allow the Red Cross to see him, as it states in international law that any enemy combatant is allowed visits from the Red Cross... it is required for prisoners of war... but no. Only two videos from him in five years. He was allowed to write two letters home in that time. We came to this point many times... will Gilad be released this time?! Is he even still alive? I doubted it. It was just more human capital for Hamas to spend.Then it was announced Israel would be releasing 1,027 Palestinians to retrieve one man. Now these aren't petty thieves. They are murders. Murders that have been tried for their parts in bombing of CIVILIAN locations in Israel. Who were found with bombs strapped to their bodies, off to kill civilians in Israel and (Thank G-d) their bombs malfunctioned. Of the 1,027, 300 prisoners serving life sentences for involvement in deadly attacks on Israelis such as suicide bombings in buses and bars. These were people who were tried and convicted. And yet, they were treated better than Gilad. They were given three meals a day that were nutritionally significant. They were allowed exercise and to interact with other people. Many of them left the prison with higher degrees, earned in jail.What about Gilad? We treated the prisoners with due process and rights. How was our son treated? He was severely malnourished, sun deprived, and kept in solitary confinement for FIVE YEARS. They came home tanned and healthy, as if they had been on a holiday. Gilad fainted on the helicopter and walked with assistance.They try to murder us every day. In fact, one woman who was released told a group of children... CHILDREN!!! "I hope you will walk the same path we took and God willing, we will see some of you as martyrs." Meaning, I hope you blow yourselves up and DIE so you can kill Jews and Israelis.And yet we would give all these people up to have one boy back. I feel like that speaks to character on both sides very clearly. One side celebrates children blowing themselves up along with innocent civilians and the other values one life so highly, that they put the country in danger by releasing 1,000 murders.Now I need to clarify one thing. I am not saying that all Palestinians are evil or want children to blow themselves up. My family has very dear friends in East Jerusalem who used to call themselves Arab Israelis but now call themselves Palestinians. They are amazing people and I cannot imagine one of them intentionally causing harm to the Israelis.I am also not saying all Israelis are innocent. I have heard the rhetoric and it disgusts me. The skirmishes in the settlements gets us no where. However, that is not our majority and while some fanatics take lives, it is not on the scale of the Palestinians nor is it a part of the education system in the broader country. I once saw a Palestinian school book where the math section said, "I there are 10 Israelis and I kill seven, how many Israelis are there left to kill?" That is not healthy for anyone.I am disturbed by this deal almost as much as I am overjoyed to have Gilad Shalit home. But I can't muster any hope that this eternal war will find a resolution that does not cost many, many lives. Anyone who has been to Israel has seen the undertones... the bubbling anger on both sides. I just pray to G-d that is does resolve and that neither side loses too many sons and daughters in the process.

Shana Tova u'Mitukah - A Happy and Sweet New Year

Shana tova to my readers! I have so many great blog posts waiting in the queue to finish and I promise I will but thank you for another amazing year with you, my loyal and kinda friends who continue to check this crazy blog!This time last year I was at Mayanot in Israel and exploring the holidays in Jerusalem. I remember the struggle I felt as I was trying to settle into life in Israel and celebrate the holidays away from my family. This year, life is totally different. Oh how I have grown and changed. Funny though... I am wearing the dress I bought one year ago to wear on Rosh Hashanah in Israel. A new girl in the old girl's dress.So Shana Tova u'Mitukah from me here is Denver with my family to you wherever you are and however you celebrate.If you want a throw back, check out these blogs: We Have To Walk Where? and Yom Kippur in Israel 

Did We Do More Harm Than Good?

As we wrap up the marathon 24 hours of news coverage surrounding the tenth anniversary of September 11th, a question occurred to me.All day I have been watching on and off. DVRing some programs, watching others live. I went to the Colorado Rockies game today and it was full of symbolism and significance. Former military, current military, children, police officers, and firemen. Every conversation surrounded this significant day.As I wrapped up my day watching home videos and other citizen journalism, painstakingly chronically every second of the 102 minutes that changed our country, I found myself crying off and on... yelling at the dispatchers on tv who were telling people to "stay put" in the towers... cheering for the people running from the dust cloud.I finally peeled myself away from the tv to take a shower.In the shower I had a thought... have we done more harm than good? No, stop, don't jump to conclusions. Let me get this thought out.Today we packed every television station with wall to wall coverage of the tragedy ten years ago. Most stations replayed the reel from the day, ten years ago. The minute by minute discoveries. Was this an accident? Was it an explosion? Was it a small plane or a large one? Did a second plane just hit the other tower? Unconfirmed reports from DC and Pennsylvania. Explosion at the Pentagon. Targeting the White House? Terrorists? Accidents? Air Traffic Control problems? Is this war? This spells a change for our airport security.It sometimes felt like they were fortune tellers... I see a man, his name starts with an 'O' and he has a beard... Obadiah? Osama! Yes, that's it.I watched the coverage and remembered almost every word. The way the anchors interrupted each other. The footage of New Yorkers stricken.But did we do more harm than good by packing this day too full with the past images? I do not disagree that these are vitals pieces of our American history. I do not disagree that they should be archived and brought out to be seen often. But what struck me was that here we are, in the Hebrew month of Elul. A time to look back on our past, take stock of our present, and make adjustments for our future.We took time to look back. We have spent 24 hours looking at every angle of this tragedy... but what we haven't done is look at where we are today and what our future holds. Now I know Katie Couric is not a fortune teller and news anchors, no matter how hard they try, they cannot tell us the future... none of us can. But we sure can give ourselves a mantra for the upcoming year, a focal point, an ideal to live up to.One of the boat captains, who saved many lives (by the way, this was the largest water evacuation ever... larger than Dunkirk which was some 300,000 military men over the course of nine days... our tug boats and ferry men got over 500,000 New Yorkers out of Manhattan in less than nine hours), said "I have one theory in life. I never want to say 'I should have.'"This is what today should have been. Divided into three parts.

  1. The memorial of the events, the reMEMBERING (once again affirming our membership into this most difficult 'club') of those lost and the horror of the day.
  2. Taking stock of where we are today and noting our growth and the areas where we, as Americans, can still grow.
  3. Looking forward to the future, deciding who we want to be and how we want to live.

This is the Eluling process. It's a healing process, one that helps us all move forward and take our memories and lessons with us.I fear we lost an opportunity here, a time when so many eyes were trained on the television screens that could help convey this process.

  1. I remember those lost. I will never forget. The memory is seared into me. I wish all Americans still loved and helped each other like they did that day and for weeks after.
  2. The events of 9/11 shaped me today. I do not fear death nor destruction because I know when my day will come it will come, thus I must live every day to the fullest. I learned to care for all and not just the people in my circle.
  3. I never want to say 'I should have.' I want to do my best in this next year to care for all those around me.

Is New Media Mainstream?

This was written for an online publication and never published so I thought I would share it with my wonderful blog readers! Enjoy... I hope!Is New Media Mainstream?By Talia DavisThey say you know technology isn’t ‘cool’ anymore when your parents join. I have to admit, it was interesting to become ‘friends’ with my dad on Facebook but, overall, I feel that theory is incorrect. Facebook and Twitter may not be ‘edgy’ any more or reserved for us early adopters but I think the world at large is better for it. Twitter and Facebook have become mediums to share information and perhaps a message. Whereas they began as places to just connect to your friends, they are now places to find like-minded people and learn.Take the Tech Rav for example. Rabbi Tzvi Pittinsky is pioneering new, Kosher ways to use technology. He sends out regular messages that are designed to help the Jewish tweeter Jew. Every Friday, before shabbis, he sends out a message like this one –That is a nice break from the spam and less helpful conversations on Twitter. But it doesn’t end there. Forgot about Counting the Omer? Don’t worry, Tech Rav thought of that too…But I have to say his personalized Shabbis times is what impresses me the most. Just tweet @ShabbosStarts with your zip code and you get a response of the correct time that Shabbis starts in your area.Rabbi Pittinsky knows his audience and has provided some great tools for the Jewish Tweeter.One of the most ambitious social Jewish projects took place last year in the days leading up to Passover with the Tweet the Exodus event. As they put it “Relive the Exodus from Egypt, one tweet at a time.” Over the course of thirteen days, Twitter was the medium of a fascinating exchange.  The Pharaoh, Moshe, The G-d of Israel, even the Red Sea had its own twitter account. Other than breaks on Shabbat, it was an ongoing event filled with humor and education.The internet has made our world smaller and smaller. But it gives us the opportunity to connect with other Jews on levels that were never possible before. Jewish Tweet of the day? We have that - @JewishTweets. Want to send a message to the Kotel? No problem! @TheKotel. Need some advice? Rabbis of every flavor abound! @ReBahir, @RabbiRami, @RabbiShmuley, @RabbiJason, @ImaBima, @RecoveryRabbi. Take your pick of organizations and information... @JFederations, @JNFUSA, @TheJewishMuseum, @JTAnews, @Lubavitch.So yes, my dad is on Facebook (but my mom swears she will never be) and Twitter (though he still needs a little coaching) but I am thrilled at how mainstream these tools are. I can get a basketball score, local news, and an Omer reminder all in one place. That’s the beauty of the internet and I am so glad that we, as Jews, are fully embracing it.

Eluling... How To Start Fresh Every Year

The beginning of this secular month coincided with the beginning of the new Jewish month. Now that doesn't always happen and isn't very common but causes a bit of confusion among the secular community when it does.  But that is neither here nor there. This new month is called Elul.People talk about Elul being the last month of the year, before Rosh Hashanah comes in to begin our new year. However, that is not quite correct either. Here's a funny trick about the Hebrew year. Our big new year's celebration (think more apples and honey than party hats and champagne), when the year changes... actually falls in month #7 in our year. Yes, you read that right. Tishrei is month #7 and yet our year will flip from 5771 to 5772 at that time. I know, odd but true. In fact Jews have several new years. But again... that is neither here nor there nor what this blog is about.Today I am talking about what we do in Elul. Elul is that chug chug chug up to the top of the roller coaster. Elul is the getting out all the ingredients before you bake a cake. Elul, in some traditions, is the dating period between us and G-d. We are preparing, we are learning about ourselves, and we are looking back at our past and towards our future.Elul is an amazing time of year. We have built in a whole month to process the year, to look at our own actions towards our self, our world, our neighbor, and G-d. We have the opportunity to see what worked last year and what didn't. Once we take that time to reflect, it is time to take action. I know you are asking yourself, "But Talia, what action can we take?" Oh my goodness, well I would be happy to share! I am happy to share but I will give you a warning... none of these are as easy as you think/wish they were...

  1. Forgive yourself. You have to. Let it go. Make mistakes, learn from them, move forward.
  2. Forgive your neighbor. Yes. Do it. In traditional Jewish liturgy says that G-d requires you to forgive every Jew. I say you must forgive every person. Why? Because holding onto the hate does not punish the other person... it only hurts you. It will eat you alive.
  3. Forgive G-d. We all have had those moments. Time when we just are so angry at G-d that we can't believe in the concept anymore... or that we shake our fist at the sky and say "it's all your fault." There are times when I am so angry at G-d because he took my brothers away. It wasn't fair, it was too early, it was so mean and rude and just plain unfair. I want to get on the floor and throw a temper tantrum but when I am done... where am I? In the same place I was before with the same pain from before. We have to let it go. Again, it only will hurt you.

So that is what Elul is about. It isn't about (in my best British accent) repentance and other huge and old fashioned words... That's bimah talk. Elul is about forgiveness of self and others. It's about looking at your past year learning from the successes, failures, mediocrity (because we all have all three) then wiping the slate clean and starting fresh. Leaving the past year behind you.Below I have included a teaching from The Rebbe on repair. We talk a lot about repair year round but especially this time of year. Repairing the world, repairing our self, "repairing others" (though that is a bit misguided)... but what truly is repair? G-d has faith in us to repair the world that (S)He created. G-d has faith in us to repair ourselves that (S)He has created. Repair is not creation, repair is the vision to see the whole amidst the shattered pieces... truly I cannot do the concept better justice than the brilliant Rebbe...

On Repairbased on the letters of R' Menachem Mendel SchneersonTo create is to reveal the parts from the whole.To repair takes a greater wisdom. It is to discover the whole from the shattered parts.He creates a world, knowing it will be broken, so He may empower us with the wisdom to repair it.

Finding Balance In Forgiveness, Bliss In Pure Happiness

I've been thinking a lot about happiness and bliss and balance lately. You find those moments where the world seems off kilter or flying past you. When we work all the time or rush through our lives, it can be hard to find the balance. And then last night I was saying the nightly prayers, the bedtime Sh'ma... just like I always do... every night... and I started to pay attention, again, to the words I was saying. You see when you read something every night it begins to become rote... easy... just blow through it. But this time I stopped and really started to pay attention to the words again.

Master of the universe, I hereby forgive anyone who angered or antagonized me or who sinned against me — whether against my body, my property, my honor or against anything of mine; whether he did so accidentally, willfully, carelessly, or purposely; whether through speech, deed, thought, or notion; whether in this transmigration or another transmigration — I forgive every Jew. May no man be punished because of me. May it will be Your will, HaShem, my G!d and the G!d of my forefathers, that I may sin no more. Whatever sins I have done before You, may You blot out in Your abundant mercies, but not through suffering or bad illnesses. May the expressions of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart find favor before You, HaShem, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Wow. What a statement. X hurt me, X was rude|nasty|mean to me. X ignored me. X treated me with indifference. X neglects others' feelings. X undervalues|devalues|outright kills my ideas or creative thoughts. X doesn't know I exist. Perhaps X ignores my feelings all together.  No matter what reason I feel X has sinned against me or hurt me, I am to forgive X? I am to let X off the hook? Every night I just have to let it go? How unfair!! I want to be angry and have imaginary conversations and think about how I would respond if X said that one comment just one more time!But G!d says no. G!d tells us that we have to let go. We have to let go of these hurts, these varying sizes of word or action wounds. Why?Because holding onto the hurt only hurts us. We may not have committed the averah (sin) but we are the ones who suffer from it. In the long run, however, it is only the person who causes the hurt who loses sight of their own bliss. This is why G!d reminds us that we have to forgive. Otherwise it becomes toxic for the giver as well as the receiver.And then you finish the prayers with hamapil... a final statement of trust in HaShem, in G!d, of placing your soul, your being, your wHOL(Y)e self in the only hands that matter, G!d's.Just like they used to say "Father Knows Best," right? G!d sure does.This is a piece that I read recently and really inspired me. I hope you find inspiration in it too.

From Be-Ahavah U-Be-Emunah – Metzora 5771 – translated by R. Blumberg“Master of the Universe, I hereby forgive…” even though I may not be required to do so. All the same, I forgive. And even though nobody asked my forgiveness, I still forgive. And even though they are continuing to bother me, I still forgive. And even though I am no saint, but just a simple Jew, I still want to forgive them, so I do it. After all, You, Hashem, forgive me so much, so I should be forgiving as well.“I hereby forgive everyone who angered and provoked me.” Maybe I shouldn’t have gotten angry. Maybe I didn’t have to feel provoked. Yet even if I was justified in how I felt, I still won’t think too deeply about it. I want to live a simple, pure, clean and wholesome life, without resentment in my heart. Therefore, I forgive.“Or whoever sinned against me”. It’s a pity for him that he sinned. Poor fellow. Yet apparently I deserved it. Nothing happens by accident. It was from G-d. That fellow was just an emissary for evil. Had it not been him, it would have been someone else. G-d has a lot of emissaries. Obviously, that does not free from responsibility the person who sinned against me, but that doesn’t concern me. Let him make his own calculations directly with G-d. For my part, I forgive him.“Whether he hurt me physically” – Obviously my body is very precious to me. I know that in the world to come I won’t need it, but here I need it a lot. Yet I won’t let myself fall into a psychological trauma over what he did. Therefore, I forgive him."Or monetarily” – Money is not important. It’s not the end of the world. G-d will fill in what I am missing – if He so wishes. Therefore, I forgive."Or he insulted my honor” – That really hurts! I’m not one who chases after honor, but it hurts me when I get insulted. Yet for me it’s all the more a matter of honor not to pay attention to every insult. What is “honor” anyway? The main thing is G-d’s honor. And it shows my respect for G-d’s honor that I am forgiving. Therefore, I forgive."Or harmed anything I own” – If G-d so wishes, He will make up my loss many times over. I forgive. I love saying those words, “I forgive”."Whether he did it inadvertently” – Maybe the person who hurt me was just unfortunate, and had no intention of hurting me. I forgive him. Every single moment, I am ready to be forgiving."Or intentionally” – I don’t understand how people can have intentions like these. Therefore, I don’t want to have such intentions myself. That’s not the sort of thing that gives me satisfaction. That’s why I forgive him."Or accidentally” – Sure, he should have been more careful, but I forgive him. Master of the Universe, I forgive him! It doesn’t involve forcing myself. It comes naturally to me. I forgive him.“Or brazenly” – What kind of a person is this? But I don’t care. I forgive him. I’m happy with that. What a wonderful gift you gave me, G-d, that I am capable of forgiving and forgetting, and saying joyfully within myself, “I forgive him.”"Whether he committed it in word” – Words can sometimes be so aggravating! But for me it’s an opportunity! More, G-d, more! I forgive him!"Or in deed” – What an unfortunate soul to occupy himself with such things! How I pity him! I therefore forgive him. How happy I am to say, “I forgive him.”"Whether in the present incarnation” – I don’t know what happened to me in previous incarnations, but in this incarnation I want to be clean and pure, without resentment. G-d, You put everything in order, so I probably deserve this hurt for some reason, as King David said, “G-d told him, ‘Curse David’” (Shmuel 2 16:10). As for me, I forgive him. It’s so good for me to say those words! It’s not just my private affair. It touches on the entire Jewish People. Every sin weighs on the Jewish People. Therefore, once again, “I forgive him!”"Let no one be punished because of me” – I don’t need it. It’s better for me to remain innocent and pure in this sense. It’s good for me that I forgive and forget. It brings me the greatest happiness. G-d, if You wish to punish him, do so, but it won’t be because of me. Maybe I’ll be happy when it happens, but it won’t be because of me. And maybe I won’t be happy. Whatever happens, I forgive him totally.I’m no deep thinker. There’s no room in my brain for dissonant emotions, and no room for resentment either. It’s tiring and burdensome. It leaves one feeling sullied. Yes, I forgive him.Not only do I forgive everyone who sinned against me in the past. In keeping with the custom of Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Ha-Cohain Kook, I also forgive everyone who will sin against me in the future.I derive my happiness from elsewhere. For example, “Happy are those who dwell in Your house” (Tehillim 84:5). Or, for example, “Happy are those who follow the path of perfection” (ibid. 119:1). I will not agree to leave even a drop of resentment in me. It bothers me. The purer I make myself, the happier I am. Whoever hurts me is, himself, the unfortunate one. G-d will have mercy on him, for I, for my part, forgive him. And even if he hurt me, let him not be punished because of me. It’s sad that he should be punished – but there’s no need for meto explain at length. I love fine fragrances. I love the fine fragrance of Eden. I love Eden. SoI forgive him. Then I go to sleep thinking about Eden.How good it is that I am forgiving. When I forgive, I feel a lightening. I ascend like a breath of fresh air. Until then I had a stone on my heart and I felt heavy. Now I am light. I feel integrity. I sing.What a wonderful prayer: “I hereby forgive!” I cannot tear myself away from it! I would say it all night. So I’ll say it until I fall asleep…

Two Cool Jews Being Cool Jews in Soho

I have two amazing friends. Okay, I set myself up for that one. I have many cool friends but today I want to talk about two in particular.I met Esty and Dovi Scheiner what feels like a million years ago. Dovi's brother is a rabbi in Colorado who my family is close with and I met them at a bar mitzvah. It is Dovi's sister-in-law Chani as well as Esty and Dovi themselves that I have to thank for my amazing spiritual journey into Orthodox Judaism and Chabad in particular. I am not going to go into my whole background and experience and journey into observance (that can be for another time). What I do want to talk about is the amazing and all-encompassing positive spiritual energy this couple exudes. Here's a little background on these two...Esty and Dovi are both from large and well-known Chabad families. They grew up in Boro Park and Crown Heights, Brooklyn (sorry for the vague sketch, I did not interview them for this blog and am telling their story from memory). They got engaged and set their wedding date. The morning of their wedding they were absorbed in prayer and fasting (as is tradition the day of a Jewish wedding). Until they noticed the chaos around them. Their wedding date was September 11, 2001. As NYC was brought to its knees by terrorists, Esty and Dovi consulted their rabbi... asking if they should get married that day. His advice? Bring joy into the darkness of the day. And so they were married. They have since dedicated their marriage to revitalizing Judaism and bringing  a new kind of tradition to the financial district and SoHo. And their success is truly amazing!They founded the World Tikkun Center and Esty baked challahs every Friday and hand delivered them to the mayor's office. In my time with them, in the early days, I met some of the most amazing and inspired Jews, including a young Matisyahu... just starting out, selling burned CDs. Very cool. Not only that but they took me into their home and introduced me to their families. I have been to weddings of sisters and feel close to these women (as I never had any biological sisters myself) as if I were family.I am proud of my friends and though life has intervened and I haven't seen them in far too long I am excited to speak about their success!SoHo Synagogue is the hottest, coolest, trendiest place to daven (pray) in the city. It was when it was in their home... it is even more so, now that they moved into an old Gucci storefront on Crosby street.

  • The New York Times says "A hipster synagogue grows in SoHo."
  • As for decor choices for the new locale, The Gothamist said, "Of course the young rabbi behind the new synagogue in SoHo for 'unaffiliated, downtown secular Jews' would turn to an 'aggressively whimsical furniture' designer when planning the newest house of worship to hit the chic neighborhood."
  • Of course the Wall Street Journal couldn't be left out in this conversation about design, "Mr. Scheiner says he believes young Jews are put off by design that smacks of their parents' Judaism—be it wooden pews or stained-glass sanctuaries."
  • Even the Jerusalem Post got into the action, digging into a new format for shuls... "(the synagogue) styles itself deliberately as representing 'a fresh vision for translating the inspiration of Judaism for a new generation,' said Scheiner.... 'It’s completely counter-intuitive,' Scheiner said. 'It’s an unbelievable message about the continuity of Jewish life. This is a generation of Jews that has been alienated from institutional Judaism. They find the grandiose synagogues of old irrelevant and uninspiring.' 'Show me something that’s personally relevant, in a Jewish sense, and I’ll stay,' said Ben Jablonski, a young donor to the synagogue."
  • DNAInfo, the online Manhattan news source said, "'We listened,' Scheiner said. 'We learned about peoples' lifestyles, priorities, interests.' And SoHo Synagogue and its revolutionary new space is the result. 'This is a sanctuary,' Scheiner said. 'Hopefully it will be a sanctuary for young Jewish people at the end of a rat-race week.'"
  • The NYPost thinks, you might be Too Cool For Shul in their article. They mention, “'It’s Judaism, rebranded,' says congregant Joe Wright. 'It maintains the tradition but offers something new.'” (And they have some great pics!)
  • And last... but really not least... my favorite magazine and the best way to stay on top of what is happening in NYC, New York Magazine takes you on a visual tour. Check out their pictures here: Space of the Week: Not Your Father’s Shul

You have to check these guys out if you are ever in The City. They are amazing people trying to do incredible things for Jews. And they bring up a good point... what is the future of Judaism? Certainly my generation feels very differently about synagogue membership than my parent's generation. How do we keep our religion relevant?It is a serious question. Got answers?

Some People Are Just Real

Knowing that my blog is read widely and open to everyone, I definitely keep certain things to myself. Sometimes there are amazing and fun or sad and upsetting things that you just don't want to share. I have been keeping one of those (positive ones) to myself lately and have decided it was time to share. :)I have been chatting with Mayim Bialik (of Blossom and Big Bang Theory fame) since April or May. It's very cool. She came to Colorado to hear the Maccabeats play the Boulder Jewish Festival and we became friendly there. We have become penpals of a sort and I really enjoy talking to her. She is one of those people who are utterly fun and sweet and makes you feel super comfortable.I was recently reading an interview with her by another SUPER awesome and fun Jewish chick named Gaby Dunn. She is a hilarious comedian and fabulous writer. Gaby really encapsulates the "Mayim Experience" very well in her latest blog. Mayim is a dynamic and awesome chick and I am very glad to count her as a friend. She is a real person. One not affected by fame or power (at least when you know her) who knows what she wants in life. Not to mention that her approach to Judaism is my current inspiration and I think I might convert from Talish to Jewyim because I like the way she works it. :)I encourage you all to read Gaby's interview with Mayim here - 100 Interviews: #69 Mayim Bialik and investigate her site. Her 100 interviews project is pretty amazing and I only wish I could qualify to be one! :) (Ya hear that, Gaby? Got a spot for a rebel rabbi's daughter with yichus out the wazoo?)And remember this: Never judge a person. Not based on a limited opinion. Gained either by the tabloids or gossip. Getting to know someone is incredibly exciting and you may fall into an inspiring situation like me!