Writings and
Conversations

yakir's son
  • Moments of Life
  • # Life Faith, Parental Expectations, Special needs

Faith in Fatherhood

I never wanted to be a father. People can offer explanations if they need them. Perhaps because I grew up in an Ultra-Orthodox family and, as the second of seven...
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yakir englander teach
  • Communities and Belonging
  • # Holiness, Mysticism, Not knowing

Demanding More: An Exercise in Holiness

Yakir Englander discusses with the ELI audience about how his Chassidic roots have provided him with a lens with which to view the exercise of holiness--pushing the boundaries of what...
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yakir englander with arabics in kids 4 peace
  • Moments of Life
  • # Hope, Human miracle, Violence

My Palestinian Elijah

My work for peace in Jerusalem brought me last week to Sheikh Jarah, in East Jerusalem, on the Palestinian side of the city. I checked Google Maps for the bus...
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yakir englander reads
  • Communities and Belonging
  • # Five languages of love, Israeli love, Jewish-American love

American Jews and Israelis Need to Learn How to Speak the Same Love Languages

One of the most amazing - and underrated - scenes in Fiddler on the Roof is the one when Tevye turns to Golde, his wife, and asks her a strange...
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Yakir Englander studying
  • Communities and Belonging

Failing to Pray – the Power of Community

I tried to pray on both days of Rosh Hashana, an effort that, most of the time, was simply unsuccessful. This was not the first time I have had this...
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torn rope
  • Violence, Trauma and Dignity
  • # Desire for love, Refugee city, Trauma

Dealing with the violent aspects of our Jewish tradition

As the story goes, in the thirties, a rabbi came to visit Prof. Leibowitz, a prominent philosopher and theologian, and criticized European-Christian culture for continuously harming Jews. The rabbi said:...
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