Cindy Skrzycki
By Cindy Skrzycki
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News In Jewish death rituals as in life, coronavirus is changing everything
For many Jews, it is one of the most visceral of rituals: helping shovel the dirt to cover a casket of a loved one. At a recent graveside service, before the stricter limits on public gatherings kicked in, Rabbi David-Seth Kirshner explained a new part of the ritual. “If you are wearing gloves, you can…
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Culture Paul Caplan was the Sherlock Holmes of the human body
You could not miss Paul Caplan. Everyone called him a dapper dresser who would come to Saturday Shabbat at Rodef Shalom Congregation in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill in a natty sports coat, shirt and tie. He liked nice clothes. He wore them well. But flashy he was not when interacting with his patients, his family, his…
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Opinion A Year Later, a Catholic Mother of Future Rabbi Reflects on Their Home: Squirrel Hill
The most solemn day in Judaism, Yom Kippur, was a grim reminder that the 11 Jews gunned down during morning prayer at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue had not had their names written in the Book of Life last year. Instead, as Jews everywhere gathered earlier this month in synagogues fortified with security, those 11…
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Opinion Does a Catholic Mom With a Rabbi Daughter Get a Christmas Tree?
We all know that the Christmas tree can become one of the biggest points of contention in intermarried families. It can cause hard feelings, arguments and problems with the kids. In my family, we have navigated this fairly well — until this year, when I have taken it upon myself to ponder whether a fragrant…
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Opinion As Reconstructionists Accept Rabbis With Non-Jewish Partners, Will Reform Jews Follow Suit?
Moved either by a brave spirit or by the notion that widespread intermarriage in the Jewish faith demands this change, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College recently announced that it is revoking its “Non-Jewish Partner” policy, which denied admission to students married to, or in a committed relationship with, a non-Jew. This decision is likely to have…
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Opinion What a Catholic Mom Wants the Pope To Learn from Her Rabbi Daughter
Pope Francis is the darling of many liberal Catholics and the world expects he will make life easier for congregants who have not been following the letter of Church law for some time. But when the pontiff comes to Philadelphia on September 26 and 27 for the World Meeting of Families, with an enormous entourage…
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Culture My Daughter, the Catholic Rabbi
This is the second spring that two robins became parents in a tight little nest woven on the lintel above our front door. Last year, when the nest came down, all that was left were shards of baby-blue eggs. I stood for a long time, wondering if it is sacrilegious to throw out the remains,…
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