My Jewish Story Part I ✡️📖
Hi beautiful people,
I hope this finds you and your loved ones well and healthy, resting and reflecting.
Got some new writing for you, + seasonal updates. Keeping ‘em short:
✎ Memoir Part I: Wandering in Exile
I’ve been thinking and writing about Judaism lately. It has been a real dance with this one. Possibly the biggest and most challenging assignment I’ve undertaken. Religion touches on everything! And Jews have been in the spotlight. And my story is very much still hot and happening, in ways that other pieces didn’t feel like. So, I’m going to release it in parts.
Part I is about my journey with Judaism, before this past summer’s pilgrimage.
Part II will be about my Pilgrimage to Israel and Palestine. I’m a good way’s into it.
Part III will be commentary. This I’m a little scared of. I’ve drafted a number of parts, but think I need to do a little more research. It’s a piece of cake to talk about my experience. It’s more delicate to speak on thorny subjects as a relatively unlearned person. What are you most interested in hearing my thoughts on as it relates to Judaism?
As always, I’m curious what this stirs in you! I imagine we each have a unique, weird, fraught story to tell about our relationship to religion and that of our lineage. How it weaves culture, history, values, wounds. I’d be thrilled to hear your story.
🍎 Teaching
Cool news: I’m officially a teacher! I was honored to be invited by a new friend and mentor Pat to design and teach a high school class this past fall on Innovation & Collaboration, along with friends and teachers of mine Gabi Jubran and Josie Siegel. It was challenging to synthesize years of things-we-wish-we’d-learned-then with what young people are asking for, delivered mostly over Zoom at the end of a long school day… but we did it, choosing to share ideas and facilitate conversation around:
The highlight for me was a whirlwind few days in Miami for a final workshop (we made Life Maps!) and several talks at neighboring schools. I forgot how much I like being on the microphone! I’ll never forget when Mr. Miller suggested I begin with a meditation, which was interrupted mid-sit by contagious laughter in one corner, that caught me in giggles so uncontrollable that I had to cover my mouth and wait a minute to collect myself, before closing the meditation out. No more nerves after that!
❄️ Winter
Ahh winter, my favorite season. This fall was INTENSE, transitioning from a more sabbatical period of life to ramping up dynamic work with Center for Humane Technology on top of teaching / holidays / travel / writing / housing / etc, amidst a world that seems to keep getting weirder….
I just took my first round trip flight for the first time in 3.5 years, which means I left a place with an intention to come back. I feel mixed about being in the Bay, but it feels good to be putting some roots down somewhere. Still trying to settle myself. I think winter will help.
2023 is a pretty blank slate. I’m about to do Circular Time again, which typically reveals intentions for the upcoming cycle. In this moment, there’s something about nourishment and showing up for others. What are you looking forward to? Thinking about? Wrestling with?
Give me a ring. Visit me in California. Meet me at Passover in the Desert.
😘
Andrew
