I finally made it to Israel - and because only tour groups can get into the country, I decided to come in on a Birthright trip. Although initially it was a strategic decision to get myself into Israel when I couldn't do it any other way, I'm so glad I experienced Birthright and I highly…
Mazel Tov to Me
Well, it's over. Between the hustle of getting the conversion finished, packing everything up, and spending time with my family before leaving for Israel, I've neglected writing. General space-cadetness is also to blame. In any case, at the end of April I had my last meeting with the rabbinate and was approved to finish the…
Can We Just Passover Cancel Culture?
One of the most defining aspects of Passover happens before the holidays begins – when Jews rid their homes entirely of chametz, or foods with leavening agents. Because the Jews were forced to flee the Egyptians before their bread had time to rise, they left Egypt with only matzahon their backs – the flat, unleavened crackers that…
Getting Ready for the Second Meeting
Yikes - it's been almost five months since I last wrote! I went out of town to visit my family in June, and then caught Covid, and everything was so hectic for a few months that anything that wasn't of great importance fell to the wayside. Just before I visited my family in June, I…
Passover At A Distance
Although the Jewish calendar is full of important holidays, Passover is arguably the most important. The Jewish exodus from Egypt to freedom in Israel is the seminal event in Jewish history, and as Jews re-enact their ancestors' oppression, living through the plagues, and eventually reaching their freedom in this climatic story, they reiterate the importance…
Conversion in the time of Covid, and Making a Home Jewish (kind of)
The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of weirdness. Since I last wrote, the entire United States has essentially shut down to try to slow the spread of Covid-19. Putting all political and social analysis of the virus and its impacts aside, the process of my conversion seems to have been little affected thus…
Getting Familiar with Religious Anti-Zionsim and other Opinions on the Land of Israel
I'm a few days late because I went home to Utah to visit my family over the weekend! I had a fantastic trip. I don't get to see all my brothers at the same time very often, and this was the second time in less than a year that we were all together. Mike, who…
First Week in a New Shul, Learning to Bring in Shabbat – Plus! – Considering “A Lonely Man of Faith”
I had such a great week! I was crazy lucky to bring in Shabbat with M and her daughters (M is the mother of the family I currently nanny for, and she is a true goddess of a human). For the foreseeable future, I'll be with M and her family on Friday evenings, in addition…
Visiting Israel and watching Israeli Geopolitics Unfold in Real-Time
Last Sunday evening, I got back from visiting Udi in Israel. The trip back and forth is always exhausting, but I got lucky and the second flight from Lisbon to Chicago was only about half full. I was able to lay down and actually slept for about five hours, which might be a record. Usually…
How I Met My Fiancé – Part Two
Udi, according to his JSwipe profile, was 37, very tall, and a graphic designer. His profile had several photos of a man with thick black hair, big, dark eyes, and a cleft chin - and not much else in the way of information. He was quite handsome, and looked substantially younger than his age. We…
Exodus 