Latkes in February
The old-fashioned winter flu season has torn through our house this month.
My 6-year-old has been in and out of school as his immune system develops new skills, tampering with my ability to get work done from my home office, and then I finally got it too. Tensions are as high as our immune systems have been taxed.
I didn’t get nearly enough done today but it’s dinner time.
The Mystery of the Missing Poppy Seed Filling: Part 1
Barbara first sensed that something was wrong in the baking aisle at Kroger. The baking aisle at Kroger presented itself with its usual air of domestic orderliness. Shelves stood neatly arranged beneath the bright overhead lights, their contents aligned with reassuring precision. Pie fillings occupied their customary positions, labels facing outward in cheerful rows of
Faith, Family, and the Weight of Responsibility: A Review of “Where We Keep the Light: Stories from a Life of Service”
It is a long-standing tradition for public figures to release memoirs as a way to reflect on their experiences and share the values that have shaped their lives. Where We Keep the Light: Stories from a Life of Service fits squarely within that tradition, offering readers a personal account of Josh Shapiro’s upbringing, faith, and
We Are the Story Bearers: Why Taking Student Leaders to Israel Matters Now
I just returned from Israel carrying stories that are impossible to ignore. I was there with Hillel International on a program called Sipurim, Hebrew for “stories.” The name could not have been more fitting. We were not there as tourists or observers. We were there to listen to people whose lives were irrevocably changed by October 7—and to carry their stories forward. We were story bearers, entrusted with carrying the voices of those whose lives were forever changed by October 7.
A Life Too Remarkable for Fiction: Joseph Bau in Film
Bau: Artist at War tries to be a Hollywood production on a Hallmark budget and therefore leans toward an unevenly executed film with a powerful and worthwhile story about an incredible man at its center. For those who do not know, Bau refers to Joseph Bau, sometimes known as the Walt Disney of Israel, an
David Brings a Biblical Classic to the Big Screen
David is a lively, family-oriented animated musical adventure that delights both children and adults, offering biblical lessons suitable for all ages. The historical story depicts the ongoing battle between good and evil, obedience and disobedience, through the life of David, the shepherd boy who became Israel’s greatest king.
Building Strength in 2025: The Spiritual Books That Sustained Me
Ryan Mount explores the books that helped him get through 2025.
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
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
Being a Young Dad in the Cincinnati Jewish Community
“What did the stuttering quarryman say to the dump truck?” my six-year-old asks, barely containing his giggles as he practices telling the joke we made together. “Ba-dump-dump!” This is what fatherhood looks like for me these days: crafting incredible and terrible jokes with my son, watching my toddler charm everyone with what’s commonly described as