At the corner of 14th & Oak
Wanderer, Writer, Dreamer, Jew ~ Kitsap Peninsula, Washington
Tag: Judaism
A very personal Shabbat Nachamu
Friday night, I sat around a beautifully prepared Shabbos table with five other women. My dear friend Elizabeth had invited us all, and then spent massive amounts of time making sure everything was perfect. And it was. The food was fantastic – I’m still…
Waiting
My dad believed in visitors from the afterlife. He was also a man of stories, and one of his frequent stories was a memory from when his younger brother, John, died as a teenager in the early 70s. The story goes like this: John…
Mezuzahs
We had a quiet but monumental moment in our home last weekend. After months of shopping and debating and being wishy-washy about styles and colors, I purchased a mezuzah and kosher scroll and installed them on the post of our front door.
Divergent journeys
Call me naïve, but I really thought that when I became Jewish, people would understand what that meant.
It’s hard to say goodbye to the High Holy Days
I love the Jewish High Holy Days. While we have a lot of holidays on the calendar, I’ve been practicing Judaism long enough to know that Yom Kippur is my favorite holiday. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, is joyful and celebratory, and Yom…
Reflections from a new Jew
Two weeks ago, the conversion step of my Jewish journey was completed. After close to two years of reading, journaling, soul-searching, and hours and hours of talking to my rabbi-turned-friend, I sat in front of her and two other rabbis at my beit din…
Essay: Why I want to become Jewish
Note: As part of my conversion process, my rabbi requires that I write my religious autobiography, which is made up of a series of essays. I’m posting these essays here, as well, to share my journey. I’m nearing the end of this process and…
Challah-lujah
When I started making challah nine months ago, I did so because it was one way that I could acknowledge and participate in this faith with which I was falling in love. I wasn’t new to bread making. About eight years ago, I was…
Rachel
