Author: Natanya Herzstein

The situation in Ukraine continues to weigh heavily on our hearts, as we see the catastrophic unnecessary loss of life, the lives needlessly uprooted, people ...

Last Shabbat started like every other Shabbat for me, with the lighting of candles. However, unlike most Shabbatot, I was not standing with my family. ...

A CSA is partnership between local farms and individuals so residents of New York City can enjoy fresh produce straight from a local farm. When ...

Given the tragic events unfolding around the world while so much is happening at BJ, we felt it was time to share another edition of BJ ...

On Purim, we are invited into a topsy turvy existence of our own making, putting on masks and reveling in the hidden. In a much ...

Since 2016, BJ’s refugee and immigration committees have been actively working to help support refugees as they rebuild their lives in the United States. As ...

Over this past weekend, I traveled with 11 BJ Teens to Urban Adamah in Berkeley, California. We were given the opportunity to think about a ...

The world generates more than 2 billion tons of waste every year, and 14 million tons of waste and recyclables in New York City alone. ...

For two years, the pandemic has forced us to disconnect from the lives we used to live. We are all fatigued, and discouraged by the ...

Megillat Esther is the literal scroll of parchment that the Hebrew text of the book of Esther is written on, but is most often used ...

One of the most important mitzvot of Purim is to host a seudah (a festive meal) on Purim day. Since Purim is known as a ...

The mitzvah of mishloah manot (literally: sending gift packages) consists of sending gifts of food to friends and neighbors. These gifts strengthen the ties that ...

Giving matanot le’evyonim (literally, gifts to the poor) is a core mitzvah of Purim. In modern times, this can take the form of direct presents, ...

Fearing that Moshe will never return from the mountain where he speaks with God, the Israelites fashion a golden calf—combining their resources in much the ...

Help BJ spread Adar joy with homemade hamentaschen! Your freshly baked hamentaschen will be donated to BJ’s lunch program guests and to the Goddard Riverside ...

It’s true that football is a brutal sport. But if you reduce its attraction to being a modern equivalent of gladiator events at the Colosseum, ...

Step into the spotlight, add your voice, and play a part in BJ’s Purim Cabaret—a revue of song parodies that will be performed during our ...

The physicality of welcoming Shabbat each week during “Lekha Dodi” is a magical moment and one in which many of us can relate to. There ...

For some Jews, February 1 simply marks the beginning of a new month—a transition from one cold winter month to the next. But for me ...

Planet Earth is on fire: Our dependence on fossil fuels has led us to the perilous situation of rapidly rising global temperatures. Reducing our personal ...

One of the most humbling aspects of the rabbinate is accompanying people through the literal or figurative valley of the shadow of death. In my ...

What are we supposed to do with so much fear? We are in the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, frustrated and beyond tired of ...

This reading of Miriam’s prophecy cast the concept of “prophecy” itself into a new light for me. Rashi's take on Miriam’s dance caused me to ...

Two years ago this week, on January 5, 2020, I joined a very special club. For most of its existence, this club was fairly exclusive. Women’s ...