Uprooted

By Carolyn Bernstein Published March 30, 2020 It was fall 2008 - six months after my parents split and I was on the job sleuthing facts. I sensed something was being kept from me about their divorce after 39 years

There is a range of ways that men encounter the struggle of a fertility journey. For some, male fertility struggles are experienced when one’s reproductive ability is challenged. For others, as in my case, I grappled with how to emotionally support my wife through the fertility process. As someone who always wanted to be a dad, it was also difficult to persevere during an indefinite and prolonged family-building journey. Though our individual circumstances may differ, when you are struggling to grow your family, Father’s Day can be painful and isolating.

Life is so fragile from beginning to end. We are all familiar with the fragility of end of life—even if we may not be fully comfortable facing the emotions that surround death and loss, we at least have terminology for this life phase and it is socially acceptable to discuss that seemingly insurmountable life challenge in public.

After spending the day participating in, Holding Hannah’s Hand: A Jewish Fertility Training for Clergy and Mental Health Professionals, she was awestruck. She had just heard three women share their personal stories in a keynote presentation, and she expressed her

“I can’t tell where we are /There’s no guiding star” (lyrics from “Where am I in the Story” by Naomi Less) For many of us, the fertility journey is filled with moments in which we are no longer able to

Simchat Torah has lost its simcha (happiness) for me. When I was growing up, Simchat Torah (the holiday celebrating the culmination of the annual Torah reading cycle) was always my favorite holiday. I loved riding up on my dad’s shoulders

By Naomi Less 5777: A new year, and as I step into the beginning of October, it’s another year to reflect on journeys and passage of time but not just any time. This year Yom Kippur, the day of “who

By Uprooted For many, the High Holiday season is highly stressful and deeply emotional. During my own fertility journey, this season brought up many feelings-pretty much everything from hope to despair. One moment in particular that always has an affect

By Uprooted At many points during my fertility journey I felt like everyone—and sometimes everything—around me was pregnant. I was the only exception. I went to synagogue, and all the women of child-bearing age seemed to be pregnant. I went

By Sharona Whisler The Torah and its stories are there for us to take lessons from and try to relate them to our lives. This isn’t so difficult for me when it comes to Vayeitzei (a section in Genesis). The Parsha