Follow the middle path
One of the stories that my father, z”l, used to tell me about his father, my grandfather, Rabbi Eyad Acoca, z”l, was that back in Morocco, at a young age, my grandfather traveled to the city of Sale to learn…
Op-Ed
Why we head home
(photo from oliveandwild.com/collections/judaic) It is the season for gatherings and celebrations, and many travelers are urgently trying to make their way home for the holidays. An innate urge seems to drive them back to their roots. And, I wonder, What…
The beauty of the light
(photo from flickr.com/photos/scazon) The sky turns shades of orange and mauve as I glance outside my dining room window and notice the sun slipping behind the trees. The havoc and chatter in the house has peaked. I call my daughter…
Balfour is but one milestone
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, a cause for commemoration and even celebration on the part of Jewish activists worldwide. The Balfour Declaration refers to a short letter from Lord (Arthur) Balfour, former U.K. prime minister…
Why I collect
I never set out to be a collector. Whenever I read about millionaires with fabulous private collections of art and sculpture, I thought, why not just keep a few pieces you really love and give the rest on loan to…
The Holocaust in literature
This academic year marks the second session of Writing Lives, a two-semester project at Langara College, coordinated by instructor Dr. Rachel Mines. Writing Lives is a partnership between Langara, the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre and the Azrieli Foundation. This fall,…
Lifelong Jewish relationships
Awhile back, I was talking on the phone to my mom in Virginia. Oh, she said, your dad is busy. He’s out at the cemetery. It turned out that he had taken one of my brothers with him. The two…
Need for interfaith learning
Have you heard about the sacred text in which the Almighty says, “Stand back from this community so that I may annihilate them in an instant?” What about the king who gives permission to a people “to destroy, kill and…
Climate a Jewish issue
The World Health Organization has labeled climate change “the greatest threat to global health of the 21st century.” As a physician, it is difficult to ignore such a dramatic statement. Climate change is real. The sea levels are rising, temperatures…
Jewish routines help us cope
At 7 a.m., I came downstairs on a school morning and discovered that one of my 6-year-old twins was busy. He’d filled up a container with water so he could watch his expandable water toys grow – again. After the…
