Being Black in America is its own journey within the journey of just being human, living and discovering who you really are on a soul level. Then there’s being Black and Jewish. And then there’s being Black, Jewish, married to a white Jew, and having bi-ethnic Jewish kids. It’s another journey, not an easy one at times, and instead of getting easier as I get older, we seem to be facing more challenges.

June and her partner, Betsy, adopted two girls from Guatemala and raised them together until Betsy died of cancer four years ago. June talked with me about the great joy she felt in fulfilling her dream of becoming a mom and the challenges she and her teenage daughters faced after suffering such a tremendous loss.

Sam and Lauren Trohman, a Jewish couple, run NOSH Butters, a company specializing in nut butters. We spoke with them to learn more about their business venture and what their work means to them.

Israel is our home. It was in the Torah, and it is now. It sure isn’t perfect, and it might not be around forever, but that’s exactly why we need to come.

What we saw Wednesday was not just an unprecedented assault on the U.S. Capitol but on our constitutional democracy and the values we as Reform Jews – and Americans of all faiths and cultural backgrounds – hold so dear.

I looked forward to the lights that adorn houses and streets in celebration of the holiday, not to mention watching Christmas specials on television and getting extra days off work to be with family. However, things changed last year when my family and I joined our friends to help them decorate their Christmas tree.  

This Hanukkah, it hit me: We can do anything. The beauty of this holiday — and especially of experiencing it amidst a global pandemic —is that we have the opportunity to make it our own.

Chef and food blogger Marisa Baggett lives in Memphis, TN, where she teaches sushi workshops, caters, and creates kosher sushi for special events. We caught up with her to talk about her amazing journey as a Jew and chef.

We hear the story of Jonah on Yom Kippur, as an example of the power of repentance and redemption. But my favorite thing about this story is how perfectly messy it is to heed God's call.