Features

What I Understand Now

By Rayla Rappaport | April 13, 2020

Dear Abba, This past Shabbat marked 4 years since you left this world. I remember that day so well. Sometimes…

Why This Seder Will Be Different

By Rena Bannett | April 7, 2020

So what is different about this Seder night than any other? This year that remains to be seen. This will…

Mini-Layers Profile: #coronastories #pesach #LauraBenDavid

By Laura Ben-David | April 7, 2020

(1/2) “We were really lucky. My son had returned from a trip abroad with buddies and they were able to…

Mini-Layers Profile: #coronastories #pesach #tovabukingolts

By Tova Bukingolts | April 7, 2020

(1/2) “For the last 4 years, we have been going to NY for Pesach to visit my parents, brother (who…

Mini-Layers Profile: #coronastories #pesach #NaomiRivkahMost

By Naomi Rivkah Most | April 6, 2020

1/3 “I am a 36-year-old widow with 3 children, ages 9 ½ ( twins boy and girl) and  12 ½-year-old…

Tomorrow Is A New Day

By Matana Poupko Jacobs | April 1, 2020

Tonight I decided: To say goodbye to sadness, To thank it for coming in to hold space for my pain,…

Still Here, Still Singing

By Emma | March 24, 2020

It’s the Shabbos before my wedding. Friday night. I’m sitting on the porch next to a pair of shoes that…

Torah Texts and Togetherness: Family Life in the Time of Quarantine

By Shira Hecht Koller | March 22, 2020

When life becomes disorienting, I look for frameworks that feel familiar to serve as an anchor as the ground beneath…

The Night I Took Myself Out On A Date

By Meira Lerner | January 8, 2020

I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for the past year. The first few months were due to a high-risk pregnancy placing…

The Legacy of The Bat Mitzvah

By Shira Lankin Sheps | November 18, 2019

This essay is brought to The Layers Project Magazine through a partnership with Matan. I have been thinking a lot…

When a Kid Believes in Miracles

By Shira Lankin Sheps | November 13, 2019

Last night I was cleaning up the kitchen after a draining day. My husband is traveling for work and I…

Breaking and Rebuilding

By Shira Lankin Sheps | October 27, 2019

Written by Shira Lankin Sheps & Rachel Hercman One year ago, on October 27, 2018, The Tree of Life synagogue…