How to Talk to Your Kids About Israel: Resilience, Reality, and Hope
Many Jewish parents today find themselves caught between two fears.
The first is saying too little—shielding our children so thoroughly that they grow up unprepared for the world they will inherit.
The second is saying too much—overwhelming them with conflict, hostility, and fear before they have the emotional grounding to hold it.
Judaism Is a People, and Israel Is Part of That Story
I write this as we enter the holiday of Hanukkah, arguably the most Zionist holiday in existence. Not because Zionism began then. It did not. But because Hanukkah reminds us that Jewish self-determination, Jewish sovereignty, and Jewish survival in our ancestral land are not modern inventions. They are ancient. Long before modern political movements, Jews
Israel Experiences and Learning Opportunities at the University of Cincinnati
CINCINNATI – Amidst the study sessions, last-minute cramming, and stress the end of semester may to students who face exams, the University of Cincinnati’s (UC) Israel Initiative Committee (IIC) opened a space for two hours, offering students a break, dinner, and an opportunity to hear about what UC can offer in the upcoming semester. The
Raising Light in a Dark Season
This time of year always feels louder than it needs to be. As the days shorten and the nights stretch, the world seems to respond by turning up the volume. Christmas music grows more insistent. Lights multiply. Schedules fill. The noise swells just as the darkness deepens. I’ve started to notice that pattern more clearly
That Hanukkah Mom
I never planned to become that mom — the Hanukkah mom. The mom who sweeps into a classroom with a menorah, PJ Library books, and a well-meaning plan to explain Jewish holidays to small children who think everything in December is Christmas-adjacent. Our older kids go to Rockwern — Cincinnati’s Jewish Day School — which
Meet Jonah Snyder
I have known Jonah Snyder for a while now. Officially, we’ve been in each other’s lives since we began 5th grade at Sycamore Greene school together, but we really only became friends our senior year of high school, when I returned from my semester at Alexander Muss High School in Israel. I was selling a
Community Life within UC’s Jewish Frat AEPi
Wake up, hang out with the brothers, go to class, come back, hang out again, prepare for the event that day, host the event, clean the event, go to sleep, repeat. The day in the life of a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi is filled with spending time with friends, attending classes, and hosting events.
Shifting to Thrifting
I remember walking into Goodwill without a clue what I was doing— the only objective being to thrift. Thrifting had long since become popular, and I was late to the party, as usual. For years, my sister tried to get me to join her on her thrifting expeditions, but I wasn’t interested. I couldn’t see the appeal of sifting through clothes and items that once belonged to strangers, all for the slim chance of finding something I liked. Eventually, though, she came home with enough successful hauls that I decided I’d give this beloved hobby a try.
A Fall Day at Findlay Market
So, what does a typical trip to Findlay look like for me? If you’re looking for suggestions on where to start, this article is for you. First things first: a trip to Findlay is a sacred experience for me, and no sacred experience begins without coffee. Luckily, there are plenty of options— Urbana Cafe and Taste of Belgium both have merchant booths right in the market, while Deeper Roots Coffee is just down the street from the main market. Once your pumpkin pie latte from Urbana Cafe is in hand, you must explore the variety of vendors set up just outside the market building. From handmade jewelry and art to trinkets, clothing and desserts, these stands offer one-of-a-kind items you won’t find anywhere else.
The Secret to Journaling: Just Start
The weight of words can be heavy, as we all know. But when you’re moving into your new apartment, struggling to carry a cardboard box filled to the brim with dozens of page-filled journals, the saying takes on somewhat of a literal quality. Though my journals did not make the moving process easier, they certainly