I can't keep up with the constant flow of news, the updates, and the never-ending changing websites. By the time I get well-informed on one issue, something new has already taken over the headlines. I know I am not alone in this struggle.
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Sometimes we refer to the objects we own as "stuff." It's a light term - almost slang - although our memories, and even our identity can be bound up with these objects. And it can be a difficult, heart-wrenching process to weed through these things when downsizing from a large home to a small apartment.
I recently watched a whole community in Erie, PA, go through this same process as they downsized from a grand synagogue into a small, modest building - making decisions about nearly a century's-worth of accumulated "stuff." To read more about this story, check out my article “When an old synagogue downsizes, what do you do with all its stuff?” published on the JTA (Jewish Telegraphic Agency) website. With the Jewish new year upon us, I’ve been thinking about tashlich - the odd holiday ritual of walking to a stream, tossing in breadcrumbs, and reciting verses of supplication. This very old folk practice is illustrated in an arresting woodcut made in the 16th century.
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ALANNA'S JEWISH EXPLORATIONS: PAST POSTS
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