Author: Natanya Herzstein

I was ordained 24 years ago. Two days after I became a rabbi, my father went in for open heart surgery. Just a couple of days ...

It’s May of senior year and I feel stuck. I’m stuck between caring and not feeling motivated. I’ve already been accepted to college—do I really need ...

I’ve been thinking a lot about ego recently: the role that it plays in my life; and my ongoing efforts to infuse accomplishment with humility, ...

“Watch out, Mommy!” my two and a half year old will say. “There’s a monster behind you!” Then she yells “run away!” and signals for ...

We are thrilled to announce that three new full-time staff members are joining our Family Life and Learning Department. Calle Schueler, as the new Assistant ...

We have just completed the yearly succession of holidays and commemorations that take us from Pesah to Yom Hashoah to Yom Hazikaron and to Yom ...

We are collecting clothing and other items for migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers that will be distributed at the weekly resource fair for those in ...

On Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Day of Remembrance of Fallen Soldiers, the sadness and grief in the country is palpable. In the U.S., by comparison, our ...

Without a doubt, Parashat Shemini includes one of the most heart-wrenching, devastating narratives of the Torah. In the midst of our learning about the process ...

I distinctly remember the archeology class I took during my junior year abroad at Hebrew University. We would study the Tanakh in the classroom and ...

I was seven years old when my youngest brother was born, old enough to participate in marking his many milestones on his “Baby’s First Year” ...

I spent last weekend in Washington, DC, with 18 BJ Haverim (7th-grade) students. After a beautiful Shabbat, we welcomed the new week with Havdalah. On ...

“Heavenly Jerusalem, earthly Jerusalem. Never has a city been so beautiful and so blemished, so revered and so reviled, so easy to love and so ...

Every BJ Teens trip is special, but our 2023 voyage to the Dominican Republic was something very unique. I’ve had a great time at all ...

In this week’s parashah, Tetzaveh, God outlines to Moshe the priestly vestments that Aaron will wear as the high priest of B’nai Yisrael. Aaron is ...

As the Israelites are in the early stages of their long journey through the desert, which we read in this week’s parashah, God gives the people ...

“Finders keepers, losers weepers” is a well known (if morally questionable) children’s adage. But while this argument might win a dispute on the playground, it’s not a ...

It is chilling to read this week’s parashah in light of the earthquake that devastated Turkey and Syria this week: "Now Mount Sinai was all ...

Over MLK weekend, I went with other 8th-, 9th-, and 10-grade BJ teens to Arizona. The goal of the trip was to learn about what ...

On an evening in June of last year, Judith, a BJ volunteer, and I had the privilege of welcoming a Guatemalan refugee family to NYC, ...

In honor of HIAS’ 2023 Annual Refugee Shabbat, we are sharing stories from BJ members who have volunteered their time to support refugees, asylum seekers, ...

We are excited to welcome Rabbi Adina Lewittes back to BJ as a Shabbat Scholar in Residence on March 3-4, when she will be exploring ...

I was 7 years old when I decided I wanted to be Jewish. That’s right. This rabbi began her life as a Catholic. The epiphany happened ...

This past weekend, I was blessed to be with our BJ Teens in Arizona, learning about immigration in America. In our first moments of the ...

I distinctly remember the first time I picked up a book of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel’s in the library of Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem. ...

Looking to get more involved at BJ in 2023? There are plenty of ways to volunteer—plus two new opportunities to connect, meet new people, and ...

Looking to get more involved at BJ in 2023? There are plenty of ways to volunteer—plus two new opportunities to connect, meet new people, and ...

Last Saturday night, my family and I brought in the new secular year with 4,000 of our closest friends. At 11:30 PM, the four of ...

One of the most powerful Jewish rituals for me, is the ritual of immersing in a mikveh—a Jewish ritual bath made of “mayyim hayyim” (living ...

The week of Hanukkah mirrors the reality in our lives that, most often, human achievement comes slowly, bit by bit, with commitment, patience, and discipline. ...

The World Cup final between Argentina and France this past Sunday in Qatar was spectacular, exhilarating, and electric. Definitely not for the faint of heart. ...

I was born to play Elizabeth Bennett. I’d been reading Pride and Prejudice, over and over since I was 9 years old, and I knew ...

I recently returned from a trip to Israel and Palestine sponsored by Combatants for Peace, and I am happy to share some stories of how ...

It has been many years now since I was on a silent retreat sponsored by the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. The morning schedule included a ...

We celebrate Hanukkah during the Northern Hemisphere’s darkest time of the year. Amidst this darkness, I am fortunate to be surrounded by an abundance of ...

How do we understand transformation? How can light enter a world bathed in so much darkness? Last year, on the 8th day of Hanukkah, my ...

Even when it doesn’t appear that sustaining light is possible. Even when the odds are not in our favor. Even when there is uncertainty about ...

On a good night, in the midst of our despair trying to rock a crying baby back to sleep at 3:00 AM, either my husband, ...

Every month I’m fortunate to meet with a “spiritual director”—a practitioner who is trained to guide people through questions pertaining to their spiritual lives. No ...

Have you heard? Shabbat is all the rage. Just this week, a New York Times article reported on what appears to be a growing trend ...

In the past few weeks, we’ve lived through antisemitic rants and conspiracy theories dominating news headlines, exposing the pervasiveness and rise of Jew hatred in ...

Throughout our Back Home Shabbaton, I was struck not only by the diversity of stories that our members brought into our synagogue but also the accents ...

This past weekend, over 500 BJ community members and guests filled our sanctuary and community house at the Back Home Shabbaton—kicking off a year of ...

This past weekend, over 500 BJ community members and guests filled our sanctuary and community house at the Back Home Shabbaton—kicking off a year of ...

An old, popular Spanish saying, “Dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres”—“Tell me who you walk with and I’ll tell you who you ...

At one stage or another in our lives, we’ve all experienced the feeling of being stuck in a rut. We may look around at our ...

There are currently more than 60,000 people in the New York City shelter system—including the thousands of asylum seekers who have been bused to New ...

Shabbat wasn’t always a part of my life. It was when I was a child: Growing up, Shabbat was a constant, a day joyfully distinct ...

As threats to our democracy and election processes become increasingly common and profound, each of us has a role to play in helping to ensure ...

As threats to our democracy and election processes become increasingly common and profound, each of us has a role to play in helping to ensure ...

When my children and I walked home from shul on Simhat Torah, I felt exhaustion and relief deep in my bones. It’s been three years ...

The Kabbalists (Jewish mystics) instituted a practice of inviting ushpizin (celestial guests) to join us in the sukkah. They imagined that we could welcome a ...

In this time of extreme food insecurity, our neighbors at West Side Campaign Against Hunger (WSCAH) strive to alleviate hunger by ensuring that all New ...

In this time of extreme food insecurity, our neighbors at West Side Campaign Against Hunger (WSCAH) strive to alleviate hunger by ensuring that all New ...

Rosh Hashanah is a time to reflect on the previous year and contemplate changes for the upcoming one. As you light the Rosh Hashanah candles, ...

Rosh Hashanah is a time to reflect on the previous year and contemplate changes for the upcoming one. As you light the Rosh Hashanah candles, ...

Community Kiddush is back! Based on the community’s input, we are excited to share some initial changes to Kiddush that will align with our aspirational ...

Community Kiddush is back! Based on the community’s input, we are excited to share some initial changes to Kiddush that will align with our aspirational ...

In the early 1990s, the word spread out that we were a congregation that was open to gays and lesbians. That people didn’t have to ...