By Rabbi Lauren Tuchman Purim is a holiday filled with paradoxes. It is simultaneously the happiest festival on the Jewish calendar and a day on which we reckon with all of the ways we experience brokenness in our world and … Continue reading
Benjamin Altshuler (he/him), is the Rabbi of Mount Sinai Congregation in Wausau, WI and an alumnus of the Avodah Jewish Service Corps (Chicago, 2013-2014). He spent the year serving at Friedman Place, a supportive living facility for adults who are … Continue reading
As the name implies, Thanksgiving is traditionally a holiday about gratitude. While acknowledging the things we are grateful for is important, the gathering of friends and family also provides an opportunity for critical conversations on accountability. From as early as … Continue reading
Yesterday’s full conviction of Officer Derek Chauvin represents a collective exhale. A breath we have been holding as a nation for three weeks (and for many far longer) and a reminder of the breath George Floyd was denied as … Continue reading
By Rabbi Lauren Tuchman This week’s parsha, Tazria-Metsora is both incredibly timely and deeply complex. Now that the Kohenim have been ordained, their functions are beginning to be outlined. The Book of Leviticus is arguably the Torah’s most complex and … Continue reading
I write this note sitting at my dining room table in Brooklyn, NY, with my children attending school via video in the next room. It’s unbelievable that it’s been a year since the pandemic hit. My last time on a … Continue reading
Our hearts are broken after the tragedies in Atlanta. Anti-Asian violence, misogyny, gender-based violence, white supremacy, xenophobia – it must end now. To our Jewish AAPI community, we are holding you close. We mourn with you and we stand with … Continue reading
The following remarks were given by Rabbi Lauren Tuchman, Avodah’s Ruach Avodah Spiritual Advisor, on February 3, 2021/22 Shvat, 5781 at the #JDAM (Jewish Disability Awareness Month) kickoff, hosted by Jewish Federations of North America. I would like to begin … Continue reading
Sylvia Finger and Jill Israel were honored at Avodah’s 2020 Annual Partners in Justice event in New Orleans for their efforts to organize and register more than 9,000 new voters in just two years through their work with the … Continue reading