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The Healthy Issue features a litany of suffering…Howard Jacobson has back spasms, David Rakoff is everyone’s therapist, and Dan Crane has tinnitus! Not to mention: health tips from our ancestors, Naomi Harris profiles aging beauty, and a exploration into a little-known phenomena: the healthy Jew. All this and more in the Healthy Issue. - Are all Jews weak, sickly and distressed? Well, not according to Eddie Portnoy and Todd Hasak-Lowy. The articles I am Iron Man and Funny, you don’t look healthy, present an alternate picture. Discuss the typical image of Jews versus the images portrayed in these two articles.
- In Chez L’arabe, the narrator describes her severe neurological injury. As she tracks and accounts the daily routines of being bed-ridden and dependent on others, an interesting cultural exchange surfaces. Discuss the relationships that develop in this story, comparing the different characters and their personal interactions. Use this piece as a springboard to ask participants to reflect and share their own experiences. Many interfaith dialogue groups meet across the US, what issues would you discuss with your local interfaith group?
- Hang Ten for Ha-shem explores the connection between spirituality and surfing. The synagogue is no longer the central place for prayer. Individuals seek connection beyond the walls of Jewish institutions – discuss your reaction to Rabbi Nachum Shifren’s ritual and reflect on the variety of places we find spirituality today.
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