Recently, I had the opportunity to read a sweet book by Sarah Aroeste I love the simplicity of this book and the depth that it brings with its Sephardic culture. It reminded how simple things like the image of a Hamsa hand can evoke the beauty of the culture a child is born into. […]
Tres Things To Love About UNO, DOS, TRES. Read More »
During Passover, we remember the days our ancestors were enslaved in Egypt and their heroic journey of crossing the Sea of Reeds into freedom. Passover is a time when we share these stories around the table, remembering the hardships of our people and rejoicing in the freedom we experience today. Click
A Passover Journey into Writing. Read More »
Escaping Slavery In Writing By Ilana R. Wieder In this week’s Torah portion, Shemot, a new Pharaoh arises above Egypt. Unlike the previous Pharaoh who kindly welcomed the Jews into Egypt, this Pharaoh enslaved the Jews. He tricked them into getting “paid” jobs, and then forced them to do these jobs without pay. This is
Escaping slavery in writing Read More »
Parashat Terumah and Playwriting By Ilana R. Wieder Several weeks ago, we read a portion in the Torah called Parashat Terumah. In this portion, The Almighty instructs Moses to collect donated materials from the Israelites to build a dwelling place for G-D called the Tabernacle or, in Hebrew, Mishkan. The Israelites thought
Parashat Terumah and Playwriting Read More »
Thank you for hosting the Fall Writing Frenzy contest, Kaitlyn Lean Sanchez and Lydia Lukidis. Also, thank you to the special guest judge, Alyssa Reynoso-Morris and all the generous prize donors!
#FALL FRENZY 2022 Contest Entry Read More »
New Beginnings In Stroytelling By Ilana R. Wieder With Rosh Hashanah right around the corner, I started thinking of new beginnings. The way I begin a new story, the beginning of a painting or a sculpture, and the way our Torah begins. In the first chapter of the Torah (Genesis 1: 1-2), we read: “In
New Beginnings In Storytelling Read More »
You’re a writer the minute you say you are. Nobody gives you a diploma. You have to prove it, at least to yourself. — J. R. Moehringer If you’re like me, you probably make yourself a writing schedule and do what you can to stick to that schedule. After all, as Moehringer’s quote says, it’s
Rest, as it Relates to Writing Read More »
Sweetness drops From your lips, O bride; Honey and milk are under your tongue; And the scent of your robes is like the scent of Lebanon. — SONG OF SONGS – 4:11 Solomon describes the Torah as sweet as honey and milk. On the holiday of Shavuot, we eat dairy foods, reminding us of the
The Sweetness of Torah Read More »
What can we learn from Vashti? In honor of Purim this year, I’d like to take a moment to discuss the book of Esther. However, rather than focusing on Esther, the protagonist, I’d like to think about one of the story’s antagonists, Vashti. In many of the Purim plays I’ve seen and directed,
Purim, as it Relates to Writing Read More »
