Jun 24, 2020
This is a story of finding balance in unstable times. About two weeks after the shelter-in-place started, I was feeling pretty drained. The shock of suddenly having to juggle so many balls was just overwhelming. For me, this circus act entailed parenting two toddlers (meaning keeping them not just...
May 27, 2020
Special thanks to Faith Kramer and J. The Jewish News of Northern California for the clever Shavuot inspiration for this recipe. Some will call it “Whipped coffee.” Others say it’s “Dalgona” and it originated in South Korea. But the Greeks will tell you that it’s actually “Frappe” and it was...
May 11, 2020
Sometimes, nature needs a helping hand. Though you often hear to leave nature alone, there is no denying that we are tied to the natural world around us. Walking around the backyard of my parents’ house (and my childhood home) just a few days ago, I came across an American...
Apr 14, 2020
As I spoke with my mother over the phone, she shared her plans to watch Saturday Night Seder live on YouTube this past Saturday. Curious, I asked her about it. The event was made up of an all-star cast of Hollywood celebrities, talented writers, editors and sound mixers who decided...
Apr 6, 2020
There is no better holiday to celebrate during the times of COVID-19, than Passover. I mean, really, the symbolism is almost too much to bear. We have plagues (pick your favorite), fanatical cleaning and social distancing ordinances that resemble the biblical guideline to celebrate the Passover just with one’s closest...
Mar 26, 2020
My husband and I play Maj regularly with another couple from our temple. We are, at best, cheerfully mediocre. We don’t play for money; we play to connect, eat See’s bridge mix, drink wine and amiably trash talk each other’s Maj acumen. Needless to say, we were bereft when the...
Mar 19, 2020
Greetings from my fancy new office—“Shelter in Place.” It is quite lovely here and I am adjusting well to my new working conditions and office mates. My current priority is remembering that my daily Zoom calls focused on helping the OFJCC navigate this unprecedented health and economic crisis warrant at...
Mar 9, 2020
This article was originally published on the website of BINA: The Jewish Movement for Social Change and can be found here. It is easy to understand why Purim might be someone’s favorite Jewish holiday. There are costumes, noisemakers, jam-filled triangle cookies, and even a theological justification for drinking without inhibition!...
Feb 25, 2020
In 2019, Tara Pipia earned the distinction of being the Number One Spartan Female Point Leader in the World in her age group. This year, she is on track to do the same with four first-place finishes to start the year off. A Spartan Race is an intense obstacle course...
Jan 28, 2020
“She is such a force of nature,” says Susan Wolfe, good friend of Deb Kurland and a longtime leader at the OFJCC, having served as Director of Communications, Vice President of the Board and Chief Development Officer. But Susan is not the only OFJCC leader that has clear memories of those...