Publications & Awards
Publications
“Privileged”
On Dec. 17, I wandered through Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv searching for the meeting place. Instead of a sign, I found the group of more than 300 jet-lagged Jewish and non-Jewish men and women from around the globe, hauling their luggage, waiting to volunteer with the Israel Defense Forces.
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“The powerful healing from the Mourner’s Kaddish”
Judaism has rituals for almost every activity in life. These rituals link us to our past, binding us to our ancestors. They bring a sense of order to our present lives, helping to shape our identities, giving us space to reflect on our blessings and connecting us with something larger than ourselves. Rituals also enable us to pass our beliefs and values down to future generations.
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“How I found God again”
During the month of Elul, God’s warm and loving embrace is supposed to be most strongly felt, but I didn’t feel it. My father had just died.
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“Thank You, Creedence”
I had mistakenly believed I could dominate a mid-size piece of Samsonite luggage. Twenty years before, I’d clung to the handle of my suitcase as it circled an airport conveyor belt, the bag stubbornly unwilling to budge, and me tenaciously refusing to let go. My bullheadedness resulted in a partial tear to the rotator cuff in my right shoulder, which lingered for 19 years with only minimal inconvenience to my life. Then—maybe it was when I was bench pressing 50 pounds in the gym before the pandemic? — that partial tear became a full tear.
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“The Stream of Contradictions”
Every time we start for the river of equality and justice
We deviate down a crooked jaded path,
Twisting and winding away from the core values in our
Declaration of Independence –
That all men are created equal, and entitled to
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
“Bigger isn’t Always Better”
This chapter of my memoir, A Daughter’s Kaddish, shows how my story is just as relevant to Orthodox women as it is to others. It is powerful when people of any religion, creed, ethnicity, or any other factor decide to unite to make the impossible possible.
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“My Father’s Blessing”
What happens to the soul after we die? My father believed, as generations before him, that the redemption of his soul would depend on the twice-daily recitation of the Mourner’s Kaddish prayer for eleven months—an obligation traditionally performed by men in the Jewish faith. One problem: He had no sons to fulfill this commitment.
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Bethesda Magazine & Bethesda Urban Partnership Essay Contest
2021 – Honorable Mention – “Disappearances”
2019 – Honorable Mention – “My Mother’s Hands”
Soul-Making Keats Literary Competition: a community arts outreach program of the National League of American Pen Women
2019 – First Prize – Religious Essay Category – “The Last Responder”
2016 – Second Prize – Religious Essay Category – “Nine is the Loneliest Number” (chapter from memoir)
2016 – Honorable Mention – Religious Essay Category – “I Believe” (chapter from memoir)
2016 – Honorable Mention – Memoir Vignette Category – “When the Ordinary Becomes Extraordinary” (chapter from memoir)
2015 – Honorable Mention – Religious Essay Category – “A Candle of the Lord” (chapter from memoir)
2014 – Second Prize – Religious Essay Category- “My Father’s Blessing“
Talking Writing Prize
2017 – Winner, Writing and Faith Category – “My Father’s Blessing”
Women’s National Book Association
2017 – Third Place in the Creative Nonfiction/Memoir Category – “Climbing Back Up”
