My birthday was last Wednesday. Perhaps more than any other time of the year (yes, even more than Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur), the days and weeks leading up to my birthday are filled with personal reflection. Not that religious… Read More ›
values
A New Perspective on the Story of Ruth by Ivy Helman
When I think about having returned to the Judaism of my family, I often think about a short phrase that is on almost all of the conversion documents I’ve seen. “Your people shall be my people and your G-d shall… Read More ›
Choosing Well by Ivy Helman
I’m moving to Prague in the Czech Republic at the end of August. (In case anyone is concerned, I will still be a regular contributor to this blog.) In part, moving to Europe feels like diving headfirst into the unknown. … Read More ›
Feminist Musings on Mother’s Day.
Happy Mother’s Day! Yes, I said it, but Mother’s Day invokes within me a certain hesitancy. Now before you say, “Well that’s because you don’t have children of your own so you don’t understand what it is like to be a… Read More ›
Building a Bridge toward the Future: Will You Meet Me in the Middle? By Ivy Helman
On Tuesday, President Obama’s acceptance speech included the following statement about coming together as a country across differences of opinion. He said, “We will disagree, sometimes fiercely about how to get [toward the future we hope for]…by itself, the recognition… Read More ›
Appealing to Values and Interests in Consumer Choices by Grace Yia-Hei Kao
“What the report also makes clear is that sweatshop labor is highly gendered. Between 71-85%…are women, the majority of whom are also under the age of 35.” I was recently drawn into a facebook discussion about the ethics and efficacy… Read More ›
Sexual Education: The Limits of Conscience Formation by Mark Levand
Think back to the sexual education you received—or did not receive. Think of all of the topics you covered in school or at home and how positively and confidently you talk about it today. Many people will say that this… Read More ›
On Being in the Moment By Ivy Helman
Time. We mark years, months, days, hours, minutes and seconds. We mark seasons. We mark life events. We live our lives in time: both circular and linear. Time began before we did and time will continue after we cannot experience… Read More ›
