Scribe, the Forward’s curated contributor network, is a place for showcasing personal experiences and perspective from across our Jewish communities. Here you will find a wide array of reflections on Jewish issues, life-cycle events, spirituality, culture and more.
Community
-
You say matzah — and matzo and matzuh and matzee and more
Readers respond to our editor-in-chief’s column about a Passover copy-editing conundrum
-
How To Help Jewish Teen Leaders Transition From High School To College
When I arrived at the University of Virginia for my freshman year, I had absolutely no doubt about what my Jewish involvement would look like in college. I brought with me four years of complete and total dedication to my youth movement, BBYO, as an active member of my chapter and serving on the Virginia…
-
Why I Refuse To Go On Birthright — And You Should, Too.
Earlier this month, registration for Birthright Israel’s winter programs opened, inviting thousands of Jewish young people to accept a gift that seems too good to be true: a completely free trip to Israel. Many of these young people will be excited to experience firsthand the country that they have been taught to consider their own…
The Latest
-
Why Young Jews Are Marching For Racial Justice
This year, 5778 will begin on the right note. The day after the Days of Awe, the American Union of Jewish Students (AMUJS), of which I am the Interim Chairman, echoes the Yom Kippur haftarah reading of prophet Isaiah. We ensure our ritual Judaism is not absolved of righteous action; we show up as Jewish…
-
You Promised To Change This Yom Kippur? Take It To The Streets.
Usually, after Yom Kippur, I write a list of character flaws I vow to address in the new year, place it in my wallet, and then promptly forget about it. I always want that final shofar blast to truly awaken me, to shake me into action, to help me become a better person, but I…
-
What Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Can Teach Us About Teshuvah
It was the summer of 1967. Wearing some flowers in your hair. Free music in the park. Acid trips. Haight-Ashbury. The Monterey Pop Festival. “Turn on, tune in, drop out.” And it was also 50 years ago today, “Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play.” A half-century ago, the Beatles released the soundtrack to the…
-
Why I’m Eating This Yom Kippur
A version of this article originally appeared in New Voices. Throughout college, I struggled with an eating disorder. In many ways, it first manifested itself during Yom Kippur freshman year. From there, it was a downward spiral into self-hatred, an obsession with calories, and compensatory cardio. Four Yom Kippurs in a row, I fasted too…
-
This Palestinian Village Needs A Yom Kippur Miracle
Yom Kippur is Judaism’s — and my own — holiest day. It is a day of both repentance and possibility, where we are called to reflect on who we are and who we aspire to be. As I have gotten older, I have found myself reflecting not only on myself, but also on my community….
-
Reflecting on Fathers and Kings
Of all prayers in the world, the rabbi of my congregation asked me to write something about Avinu Malkeinu — Our Father, Our King. This prayer, said three times on Yom Kippur has always been a challenge for me. I have a very complex history with so-called fathers and kings, and I’ve dedicated my adult…
-
The Tenacity Of Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres’s story offers a compelling argument for the indispensable role of leadership, a quality notably absent from the world stage today. Indeed, the first anniversary of the Israeli statesman’s death on September 28 can serve as an important lesson on the potential of those with access to power to shape events, even amid serious…
-
What The Torah Doesn’t Tell You About Infertility
On the first day of Rosh Hashanah, we read the story of Sarah’s “miraculous conception” of Isaac at an advanced age. The recounting focuses on the notion of Sarah being “barren” and the necessity for God to intervene. It bothers me that the story never focuses on the role of Abraham, who very well could…
-
3 Very Religious Reasons To End The Barbaric Practice Of Kapparot With Live Chickens
Kapparot is a customary Jewish atonement ritual practiced by some Jews between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Traditionally, a person waves a chicken around his or her head and recites a penitential text. The chickens are then donated to the poor. In Tur Orah Haim, laws of Kippur (chapter 605), we find the following discussion:…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
Film & TV ‘Bojack Horseman’ creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg on his new, ‘unapologetically Jewish’ family affair
- 2
Film & TV Who is Marty Reisman, the Jewish ping-pong star who inspired Timothée Chalamet’s new movie?
- 3
Holy Ground This small, stubborn Appalachian synagogue is defying the odds — and so is its new rabbi
- 4
News ADL chief attacks Zohran Mamdani, but gets his facts wrong
In Case You Missed It
-
Music Donald Trump wants to ‘try and get to heaven’ — just like Bob Dylan
-
Fast Forward Mass. man sentenced to 26 months in prison for threatening local synagogues, Israeli consulate
-
Fast Forward Renowned trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk banned from teaching at Omega Institute over ‘antisemitic comments’
-
Fast Forward New US Postal Service stamp honors Holocaust survivor and humanitarian Elie Wiesel
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
