Haviva Ner-David's Blog, page 3

Let’s not forget we were strangers in Egypt

These joyful mikveh immersion celebrations show what's possible when a sincere desire to be Jewish is welcomed with open arms

Ahdit Tatim’ein: Proudly shot twice in Shefa-Amer!

Earlier this week, I received my second shot of the Pfizer vaccine in the nearby small Arab city of Shefa-Amer (Shefaram in Hebrew). It was once a mixed city with Jews, Muslims and Christians (although with a very small minority of Jews — fewer than...

If the Sea of Galilee could speak: Religion after Corona

I didn't go back after our synagogue reopened and found I didn't miss it much. There are other, better ways for me to meet my spiritual needs

Fragile and beautiful, impossible and possible, dreams

When the world conspires to make me even more aware of how fleeting it all is, the best I can do is try to protect myself and my family from every harm that is in human hands

Lessons from my 13-year-old son at his pandemic bar mitzvah

When you're 13 and you can only invite 10 friends to your big event, and you discover that you're happiest with even fewer, you have your priorities straight

Making mikveh history!

A 2,000 year-old-mikveh was discovered near my home, but it will be replaced by a traffic intersection without the right funding to stop that 'progress'

Raising Awareness on World FSHD Day: A Personal Vent

When the global pandemic lockdown began, someone from my FSHD (fascio-scapular muscular dystrophy) Facebook group wrote: “Now at least everyone else knows what it feels like to be physically confined.” I only wish the lockdown experience had sensitized people more to the physically and/or mentally...

Moving from silence and despair to love and hope

After reading about the horrific murder of George Floyd, and watching from afar what unfolded as a result, I felt at a loss for words. The phrase “And Aaron was silent,” from the biblical scene of Aaron’s reaction to his sons’ death, is what kept...

Is the state really AC or is AC a state of mind?

In this supposed 'After Corona' world, I'm more frightened than ever, not just of dying, but of dying alone, separated from my children

Let snails be our teachers as we consider emerging

As the restrictions here in Israel relax and people begin to return, step by step, to the roads, to work, to the stores that are slowly re-opening, to gathering in groups (limited in number, yet still groups and still gathering), I find my nerves upset,...