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.
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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 I got my family through COVID-19
I’ve felt weirdly calm during this COVID-19 pandemic, and that’s not because we’ve been untouched by it as a family. Our eldest son was hospitalized in Philadelphia in March with what turned out to be COVID-induced, multi-site pneumonia. It was a bit of a tense comedy trying to get him to tell us — the…
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A Shavuot revelation
Shavuot is a mysterious holiday. This commemoration of receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai isn’t given a specific date for its celebration; instead we are told in Sefer Sh’mot (the Book of Exodus) to schedule it seven weeks from the second night of Passover. I never heard about it as I grew up. It usually…
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Remembering Joseph Feingold – and with him, a whole generation
Joseph Feingold was a brave Holocaust survivor, hardworking immigrant, accomplished architect and generous soul, as the world got to know a bit from the short documentary “Joe’s Violin” that was nominated for the Academy Award in 2017. But to me, the grandchild of Holocaust survivors and producer of the film, Joseph — who died last…
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Especially now, we cannot forget the Ethiopian Jewry
Immediately after the normally joyous holiday of Passover, Jews enter the period of Sefirah, a traditionally somber time that concludes seven weeks later with the joyous festival of Shavuot. The Talmudic tractate of Yebamot ties this period of sadness to the fact that thousands of disciples of the great sage, Rabbi Akiva, perished in a…
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Never too late to say yes to a new adventure
He said ‘yes.’ When I knocked on Joseph Feingold’s apartment door six years ago, he had no idea who I was, but within an hour he simply said ‘yes,’ and it changed both of our lives — and many others. Joe was 97 when he died last week, of pneumonia and Covid-19. He was 91…
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During a pandemic too, I am grateful for these things
I do not leave my apartment except to do laundry in the basement, walk to the grocery store or to the Hudson River to make sure the Statue of Liberty is still standing. I appreciate these three life-affirming activities along with extra time at home to go within. The following includes what I have been…
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God calls to us in all things
A few days ago, a member of my congregation asked me a direct and painful question: “How could God let such a horrific plague as coronavirus befall our earth? Can you help me understand?” Can you help me understand? Setting aside for the moment the ten mythological plagues we recalled at our recent seders, ours…
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Jewish educators will be on the frontlines of the recovery
The Jewish community, like most of the world, still does not yet know when the current crisis will end. We can, however, begin to think about parts of our life that will be different after this period than they were before. For Jewish education specifically, thinking ahead is critical; it will fall to Jewish communal…
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In the wake of the pandemic, the Jewish community is inspired to serve
Just as we began to adjust to our new shelter in place routines, Repair the World Brooklyn volunteers put on their protective masks and gloves to deliver food packages to isolated Holocaust survivors in South Brooklyn, with our partners at MET Council. This hands-on effort helped seniors, amplified the incredible work of MET Council, and…
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Coronavirus, an accident and a journey toward gratitude
On that Friday night all those weeks ago when all students received the email to leave Stanford University as soon as possible, I was unsettled by the idea that my sophomore year could face such dramatic change so quickly. I left campus a few days later to head home, but the surprise of sudden upheaval…
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The power of spiritual community in a chaotic world
March 15th is a day etched in my memory. That Sunday evening, the minyan at my Conservative shul went virtual. Earlier in the day, our Massachusetts governor, Charlie Baker, had limited gatherings to 25 people. Later that month, full-fledged social distancing and sheltering at home would go into effect. That evening, I also decided to…
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