We Come From the Garden

Last weekend, we did a thing…we planted a garden. We started with some grow bags and then a trip to a nursery for vegetable plants we knew we would like to eat. Admittedly, we could have bought a lot of vegetables for the amount we paid for plants and soil, but the activity is hard […]

Let Us Celebrate Israel’s 76th Birthday!

Yom HaAtzmaut, Israel Independence Day begins on Monday night, May 13. This year, as with many of the holidays since October 7th, it seems even more important to celebrate Jewish life.  In 1948, the world watched as Ben Gurion, the Chairman of the Jewish Agency, stood at the Tel Aviv Museum amongst a large crowd […]

Never Again Is Now – Yom HaShoah in 2024

On January 30, 1933, 91 years ago, Hitler came to power and began the long road of building a case against the Jewish people that would lead to the murder of close to 7 million Jews and 11 million people during the Holocaust. It didn’t happen overnight, rather, it started with Germany losing World War […]

Yes, It Can Happen Again

Why did we let it happen? Why didn’t we just get out? How could we just let them lead us to the gas chambers? How could we let people push us out of businesses, schools, and our communities?  These were questions from not only after the Holocaust, but these are questions we ask today, in […]

There’s something for everyone at Passover

Passover is z’man cheiruteinu, the time of our freedom. We love this holiday and all that we get to do with it. From the mass amount of cooking, which if the Israelites cooked like we do for Passover today, we would still be living in Egypt; to the gathering together as family and friends. We […]

What does it mean to be free?

As we prepare for Passover, we ask an important question; What does it mean to be free?  As Americans, we understand freedom to be, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom to assemble. While we have those freedoms, we also understand that with freedom comes responsibility. We know we cannot […]

Keeping emotions in check

Our emotions can sometimes get the best of us. When we are angry or frustrated with something, we might forget to stop, think, and then act. It’s easy to react to an email or a posting that we disagree with or find offensive. And when we react too quickly, our anger can cloud our judgment […]

One Year Olds Should Not Be In Tunnels

Remember one year old celebrations? We might remember them from pictures of when we turned one or when we celebrated our own children turning one. There was a party that was definitely more for the parents and family since the child would not remember it. There was cake the child was encouraged to dive into […]

Help Maintain the Jewish People One Community At A Time

HaNefesh is a strong Jewish community that is radically inclusive of all and reaches people from all over. There are no borders, no time zones, no buildings, and no barriers to being a part of our community. Especially at this time with the rise of antisemitism, we want to continue to build our outreach and […]

A Small Light Can Be a Great Torch for Justice

If you have not seen it yet, this is a must watch: A Small Light. This is the story of Miep Gies, the woman responsible for hiding Anne Frank and her family, the Van Pels and Dr. Pfeffer. The Diary of Anne Frank is one of the most read books about the Holocaust having been […]