Dr. Madelyn Mishkin Katz

Dr. Madelyn Mishkin Katz is associate dean at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion’s Jack H. Skirball Campus in Los Angeles, CA.

Parashah Vayechi

Dr. Madelyn Mishkin Katz
Let’s be honest. We have all told a white lie at one point in our lives—probably many of them over the years. White lies are usually intended to avoid hurting someone’s feelings. Other times, it may be to be sure we aren’t “found out.” And, frankly, I am sure that many of us have actually stopped to think, “Was that ok?” because no one was hurt, and it was done, for the most part, with the best of intentions.

Parashah Ki Tetzei

Dr. Madelyn Mishkin Katz

I suspect that everyone has gone through an experience in which you felt resentful, angry or depressed about a past encounter with someone and found it hard to get past it. Someone close to you may have said, “Get over it! Put it in your past!

Wonderings about Jewish Practices

Dr. Madelyn Mishkin Katz

As a Jewish educator, I have encountered many situations in which Reform Jews of all ages – youth at camp or in NFTY, adults at URJ Biennials, and women at WRJ events – appear uncomfortable when it comes to “what to do” during worship services.

Voices of WRJ: Tol'dot

Dr. Madelyn Mishkin Katz

 

I now realize the real definition of “retirement” (which began this past July) is “time to go through memorabilia and look over your life!”

I have done just that, and, in the process, I stumbled upon a precious piece of my past.

WRJ Voices: Tol'dot

Dr. Madelyn Mishkin Katz

Fifty-one years ago this week, I became a bat mitzvah. Fifty-one years ago, I read from the Torah, and the parashah was Tol’dot – the same words that we read this Shabbat.

Being a “saver,” I still have the composition notebook in which my rabbi had me work on