Posts by Shira Lankin Sheps
Jerusalem, Forever
I’ve waxed poetic about Jerusalem in almost every post I’ve written since I moved here, 11 months ago. The way she buzzes with energy from dawn to dusk. The way the sun blankets everything in blazing heat. How slippery her stones can be in the rain. How she twinkles at night, from lights in thousands…
Read MoreThe Shoah Remembrance Collection
Yom Hashoah 2019 “Woman of Valour” Submitted By Gila Leipnik “My grandmother was really beautiful.The kind of beauty that shines through someone’s eyes and which, at the end, made her oxygen mask and the aura of confusion emulsify into the shadows.My grandmother was the blue part of the flame, coming in contact with her made…
Read MoreA New Meaning To Zachor
Yom Hashoah has been painful every year that I have observed it. The first experience I remember was when my Oma, my grandmother, spoke in public for the first time about being a survivor of the Holocaust. We were at a commemoration event at the shul where my father was the Rabbi. I stood on…
Read MoreRona’s Story: Women in The Workplace
(1/7) “You Can Do This” “Unlike my parents, I did not dream of becoming a classroom teacher. I knew I wanted to work with children in some capacity. I don’t know when I decided that my other love, theater, would not work in my life beyond being a hobby. I knew that creative passions would…
Read MoreThe Things We Hide Part 2
“The empty bed to my right. The master bedroom in my home has two full size beds with matching custom made headboards, nightstands and beautiful linens. Items bought at the time by two newly engaged young adults, filled with so much excitement and love. Every time I walk into our room, my sanctuary, these furnishings…
Read MoreThe Failings of Solely Focusing on Beauty
As women, we know that we need to take care of ourselves. We should eat nutritious food, dress in a way that makes us feel good inside and out. We have every right to highlight the best of ourselves – from the way we look to doing work that feels good for us. We need…
Read MoreThe Things We Hide Part 1
“When I saw the call for submissions on “The Things We Hide” this morning, it felt like you had been watching me. It happens that I suffered an anxiety crisis yesterday, and today marks the first day of trying to stop hiding. You see, I hide a lot behind my generally pleasant surface. I’m attractive,…
Read MoreFiltering Reality: Instagram and the Megillah
“I think often about the millions of Instagram accounts where their entire personal brand revolves around snapshots of pretty moments. We scroll through our feeds and are dazzled by white smiles, flowing hair, gorgeous sunsets. We think to ourselves, “Wow. Those lives must be perfect. Look how beautiful everything is.” Don’t get me wrong, I…
Read More“In-Confidence” Anonymous Series Roundup: “Starting Over”
“Starting Over. There have so many times I have started over in my life. Jobs. Relationships. Communities. But the hardest starting over is the kind I do every morning. I am not one of those people who is naturally happy, positive, and sees the good in things. Maybe it’s biological, maybe it’s just my personality,…
Read MoreThe Drumbeats of Fear
You’ve seen the video of the bride in Bnei Brak drumming at her wedding. You’ve heard that the Badatz went ballistic after the video spread, and they demanded to know why the electricity had not been shut off in the hall the minute she stepped up to the drums. They decried the wedding band who…
Read MoreLayers Platform Feedback: Top Ten Things A Shadchan Should Know
Many people in our Jewish communities date and find their spouses through the mechanism of “Shidduch Dating.” What that means, is that either a professional matchmaker or a thoughtful friend, family member or acquaintance connects two young single people who they think might be a good match. Matching up singles can be a super difficult…
Read MoreAhava Emunah’s Story: Living with Love and Faith
(1/7) “I Knew” “It was July 2012, and I had been feeling unwell. I was going back and forth to different doctors and trying to find a reason for feeling so tired. Being so tired, I started feeling useless. At age 36, I could not accept that I was just going to be exhausted for…
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