Author Archives: Linda

Books Create My First Jewish Community

By | | Jewish muse
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Ambivalent Jew. That was me through childhood. I knew very few Jews. For the latter half of my childhood, we were among just a handful of Jews in our small Ohio town. Sunday school was a drag. It was decidedly not hip to be anything but Christian where I lived. I had no desire to switch religions, but I was very unsure about my faith and what it meant to be Jewish. I hunted for answers by burying myself in books about Jews. Through reading, I often found what I lacked – a community of Jews. Continue reading →

Do we compete with Christmas too much at Hanukkah?

By | | Other, Writings
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Summary: Should we downplay gifts at Hanukkah? Four rabbis from the Boston-area weigh in on Hanukkah and the role gifts should or should not play in my November 2010 article for The Jewish Advocate.

To read the article, published in The Jewish Advocate, click here

Learning to Say Thank You in a Jewish Way

By | | Jewish muse
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I never learned a prayer of gratitude until recently. I grew up largely disconnected from my own faith. Judaism, like most religions, of course has a prayer for saying thank you.

Modim anachnu lach, I learned only a few years ago, means we give thanks to you. My teacher was Cantor Robbie Solomon, who has put the prayer to music in various ways. His simpler, folk-style composition particularly moves me. Perhaps it’s partly because Robbie once asked me to accompany him on my flute on that composition. I learned to … Continue reading →

Happy Hanumas? Ditch Season’s Greetings

By | | Jewish muse
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Happy Hanumas? Happy Chrismakah? Merry Hanukah? The winter holidays are fast approaching. It’s time for non-celebrants of Christmas to ready ourselves for the onslaught of seasonal niceties from store clerks and acquaintances. No one, of course, will blend a greeting that pays tribute to Jewish and Christian holidays. Most will tell me, “Merry Christmas,” or “Happy Holidays.” No one will likely utter Happy Hanukkah.

Am I bitter about this? No, I’m a mature adult. I live in a country dominated by Christianity. Christmas is the one holiday that leads to a … Continue reading →

Think Pink. Can Pink be Secret to Writing Success?

By | | Jewish muse
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The secret to my future success as an author is clear. Pink. It’s the color pink.

How can I be so sure? I saw the magic of pink during a reading at last week’s Boston Books Festival. Draped in pink feather boas, the author and illustrator of the popular children’s book series, Fancy Nancy, drew adoring young fans to their reading. The series revolves around a little girl who loves tiaras, princess garb, and of course, everything pink. Several of the book series fans showed up wearing pink.