Adapted from the written testimony of Amanda Silberstein before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary Hearing on Free Speech on College Campuses, November 8, 2023. “I was alone in a world gone mad.” These are the words my grandfather wrote the day in October 1942 after his father had been shot dead […]
Report from Cornell: A Campus Gone Mad Read More »
On the Shabbat of October 7th, I was teaching a Lunch ‘n Learn session about Simhat Torah in Wilder Hall, the student union of Oberlin College, when one of my students said, “Rabba Amalia, I’m not sure if it is appropriate to share this information coming across my phone. There is terrible news from Israel.”
Antisemitism on Campus: A Hillel Director’s Reflections 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 »
Israel’s High Court of Justice recently issued what would have been a bombshell had the news cycle not been rightfully consumed by the war in Gaza: A unanimous court ruled that women are entitled to sit for state rabbinic exams. The ruling does not mean that state-recognized women rabbis are on the horizon, but it
This summer, as I sat on a plane waiting to take off for Tel Aviv, the “Homefront Command” alarm suddenly blared from my phone—a real-time warning of incoming rocket fire. Passengers froze. Some called loved ones; others checked the news. My spouse and I reached out to our daughters. Minutes later, the tension eased and
We Need a Jewish Language for Trauma, Not Only a Clinical One Read More »
