LilyFish Gomberg
Originally from Newton, Massachusetts, LilyFish (she/they) now calls Philadelphia home. In her spare time, you might find her painting, hanging out with friends, davening, or singing Taylor Swift to her shower head. LilyFish earned a B.A. in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies with minors in Sexuality and Queer Studies and History from Brandeis University. This fall, she […]
Tishah B’Av: Commemorating Exile, Embracing Wholeness
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Tishah B’Av is nearly upon us. Tishah B’Av, the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av, is the date on which the destructions of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem are commemorated. It is estimated that the first was destroyed in 587 BCE; the second in 70 CE. […]
War, Peace, and Sacrifice
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar I write on Day 657 of the war that started on October 7, 2023, a war that feels more interminable and heartbreaking by the day. At this point, nearly 75% of Israelis, “including 60% of people who voted for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, back an agreement with Hamas that would […]
The Secret History of Kabbalat Shabbat
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar I cannot imagine the experience of Edan Alexander, the 21-year-old hostage released this week from Hamas captivity, and his family and friends, upon their reunion. Barukh atah adonai matir asurim, a traditional Jewish blessing says: Blessed is the One through whose spirit captives are freed. Still, our hearts lament the ongoing […]
Inner Life. Outer Life. Jewish Life.
by Rabbi Nathan Kamesar Today is Yom HaShoah, whose formal name is Yom Hazikaron LaShoah Velag’vurah — Remembrance Day of the Holocaust and Heroism. It’s a heartbreaking day each year it comes up, commemorating the Holocaust, the state-sponsored, systematic murder of six million Jews by the Nazis and their collaborators, as well as commemorating the […]