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
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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
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How to Make a Kid-Friendly, Interactive And Progressive Seder the Whole Family Will Love
Last year was our first Passover in our new house. Nearing the holiday, the dining room was still piled high with moving boxes. Since the seders fell on the weekend, all of my husband’s family flocked to Toronto. With my parents coming from Montreal, we would number nearly 30 with nine children between the ages…
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Prominent Orthodox Rabbis Affirm Progressive Commitments
Rabbi Dov Linzer, our Rosh Yeshiva, spoke at Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School’s annual dinner about the centrality of Torah in our lives as Jews, and then shared the following words: “‘And let it be that we all may know your name and study your Torah.’ Let us make sure that everyone – rich or…
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Why I Still Celebrate Passover
When I went to Publix the other day, I got to the aisle where bottled water usually rests and found the shelves were filled with Passover supplies: matzohs, mixes, cookies, wines, etc. — you know, the usual stuff. I knew Passover was on the horizon; I just hadn’t put it in my calendar. No one…
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WATCH: Adam Prepares for His Bar Mitzvah
In his Bar Mitzvah video, Adam Wolfond, a non-speaking autistic person who types to communicate, explores the story of Moses and the Golden Calf to ask: “Does the Torah book answer the reasons why I don’t talk?” Viewed as non-relational and unaware because of his autism label, Adam expresses his relationship to others, his environment…
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I’m A Jew Who Voted For Trump — And I Still Have No Regrets.
I’m a 47 year old Jewish guy who was born in South Africa and moved to the US when I was 6. I grew up in a Democratic home. I voted for Bill Clinton twice and interned for liberal icon Senator Harkin before I attended law school back in the early/mid 1990’s. I don’t own…
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Chronicles of #TheGirlWithTheCancer: Should I Be Thankful For My Cancer?
Stav Meishar, 28 years old, was born and raised in Israel. She is based in New York City where she founded the award-winning organization for creative Jewish education, Dreamcoat Experience. When she’s not shaping the futures of young Jewish minds, she is a stage artist specializing in Circus Arts. Stav’s biggest project at the moment…
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The Strangest Battle of Megiddo
Many battles have been fought over Megiddo, but this has to be the strangest of all. Megiddo, a three-part TV documentary which follows the tense reality of the lives of Palestinian inmates in the Megiddo security prison, has outraged Culture Minister Miri Regev, who has demanded information on the approval process for its funding, the…
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Meet The Jewish Corn Farmers Of Iowa
If you drive south on Iowa’s County Road K42 off Highway 20 and look to your right just before you get to 190th, you’ll see cornstalks at the corners of the field. That’s my land. Every year I negotiate two contracts with my renter: one for the use of the ground, and one for the…
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Ask the Rebbetzin: How Do I Enjoy My Boring Family Passover Seder?
Dear Rebbetzin, I want this night to be different from all other nights. I’ve been going back “home” to my family’s Passover Seder (parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins) for the past two decades, since becoming an adult. But there’s something stifling about being in that environment for this ritual — something that feels rote and…
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Meet The Red State Jews Taking A Stand Against Immigration Crackdowns
It was my first Red State protest demonstration. The fact that about 120 people showed up on the streets of bustling Bluffton, SC was truly a m’chayah — truly life enhancing. We gathered together, religious and community leaders and activists, to protest a decision that the Sheriff of Beaufort County made by applying to the…
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The Legacy And The Importance Of Birthright Israel
In early 2005, I went on a journey that will forever hold a place in my heart. Joining other young Jews, I visited Israel for ten days through Birthright Israel. Before that, I visited Israel ten years before on a Bat mitzvah trip with my family. It’s one thing to travel with your family as…
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Culture Why saying ‘L’shana Tova’ on Rosh Hashanah may not be the correct phrase
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Opinion With killing of Hezbollah’s chief, Israel occupies the inarguable moral high ground
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Opinion This is the most disorienting Rosh Hashanah in memory
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