In her award-winning first book, If All the Seas Were Ink, Ilana Kurshan uses the structure of the Talmud daf yomi cycle as a lens through which she reflects on her life as it develops over the seven-year period of that cycle. In her current book, Kurshan follows a similar structure, this time built around […]
Children of the Book: A Memoir of Reading Together by Ilana Kurshan Read More »
Kelsey Osgood has done a remarkable thing: she’s collected first-person accounts of six women who switched religions—not an easy group of people to find. Osgood, a convert herself (she’s the seventh chapter of the book), weaves in her own insights as she tells their stories, like a knowing friend whispering in your ear as you
Godstruck: Seven Women’s Unexpected Journeys to ReligiousConversion by Kelsey Osgood Read More »
The phone call came at 2:14 a.m. A mother’s voice, frantic and breaking, desperate for guidance. Her 15-year-old son had just confessed to having suicidal thoughts. She had no idea what to do next. As the Executive Director of No Shame On U, a nonprofit dedicated to eliminating the stigma associated with mental health conditions,
In the Face of a Child’s Mental Health Crisis, A Parent’s Knowledge Can Be a Lifeline Read More »
“Why’d she do it?” “She seemed so happy.” “I don’t understand.” “Will she be buried in a different part of the cemetery?” “My sister died this way over 60 years ago and we couldn’t talk about it. We had to lie.” My daughter, Batsheva Chaya Stadlan, z”l, died by suicide in April of 2017. At
Suicide, Halakhah, and Practice: From Sin to Understanding and Compassion Read More »
One moment can change everything. For my husband Eitan, that moment came eight years ago with a massive stroke that stole his words but not his voice. What happens when a voice goes silent—not just in a home, but in a community? For us, this question became the beginning of Koach Eitan. Eight years ago,
From Silence to Strength: Brain Injury, Aphasia, and the Koach Eitan Story Read More »
Every day, between 15 and 17 Americans die waiting for an organ transplant. Many could have lived had a posthumous donor been available. For Jews, with our deep commitment to pikuaḥ nefesh, the preservation of life, the urgency is self-evident. Yet organ donation also forces us to face one of modern halakhah’s most complex questions:
Organ Donation and Halakhah: Life, Death, and Responsibility Read More »
When people hear that I am a trauma surgeon, they often pause. When they learn I am Chair of the Department of Surgery, the pause grows longer. And when they realize I am also an Orthodox Jewish wife and mother, the questions begin. They ask how I “balance it all.” They ask about wellness, physical
Two Worlds, One Identity: Reflections of a Trauma Surgeon and Orthodox Mother Read More »
The first day of anything is really hard. Meeting new people, making a good first impression, finding your way around a new space. These are all part of the universal experience of a first day. Now, imagine that when you introduce yourself to your new boss, coworker, teammate, roommate, or acquaintance, you are confronted with
Finding My Voice: A Journey with Tourette Syndrome Read More »
I was in my early twenties, already five years into an eating disorder that had consumed much of my young adulthood. My life had become unbearable: intrusive voices narrated my every meal, obsession circled around food and control, and small choices felt freighted with shame. Out of desperation, I finally sat in a doctor’s office
When Women Say They Are in Pain, Believe Them Read More »
A central piyyut of the Yamim Noraim, “adam yesodo mei’afar” (“the human being originates from dust”), attempts to capture human frailty by comparing finite human life to “a shattered vessel, a withered grass, a faded flower, a passing shadow, a vanishing cloud, gusting wind, floating dust, and a fleeting dream.” Ten years ago, on Rosh
As a Fleeting Dream: Coping with Pregnancy Loss Read More »
