When Milwaukee Alderman Jonathan Brostoff, a former state Assembly representative, died by suicide Monday, Nov. 4, it was after months of bullying tied to his identity as a Jew and supporter of Israel, according to longtime friends and colleagues.   Social media attacks from former friends and allies broke his heart, they say. Longtime friends […]

This time of year, we read another set of stories each week. The book of Genesis is full of stories of our ancestors going on journeys, becoming a community, becoming a people. These stories bind us together and show us how to be there for one another. Sometimes, they provide cautionary tales about what happens […]

Lloyd Levin gave this speech beside a bridge in Trévé, France, known for its ties to World War II history. During the event on Aug. 4, 2024, he paused repeatedly so a translator could speak his words in French. Lloyd and Sheri Levin attended a total of five related events that day, marking liberation, lives […]

Students sometimes chat with Liran Gerassi about Judaism at the Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology. He gets asked in the seminary cafeteria about Jewish blessings before meals. To this, he has explained that there are separate blessings for food and wine.   Gerassi leads The Lux Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies at the seminary, which […]

Last year, right after the Oct. 7 attack, Congregation Sinai Rabbi David Cohen called his friend Fatih Harpci, a religion professor at Carthage College. The pair of local religious leaders were about to teach a course about Judaism and Islam for the second year.   The rabbi asked: Was this the right time to gather members […]

When one local high school student was undergoing chemotherapy, she felt powerless and isolated, she said. At times, she was hospitalized for a couple days during treatment, causing her to lose her sense of control.   In the “Wish You Knew” podcast by the Friendship Circle of Wisconsin, she said that going through treatment showed her […]