Central Florida's Independent Jewish Voice

Articles written by Rabbi Sari Laufer


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  • A sunflower for Ukraine? A tomato for farmworkers? Here's why I'm sticking to the basics on my Passover seder plate.

    Rabbi Sari Laufer|Mar 31, 2023

    (JTA) — Olives. Tomatoes. Oranges. Artichokes. Dates. Cotton balls. And, now, sunflowers. This list might seem like a setup for a logic puzzle or a grocery run. But it is, instead, a (non-exhaustive) list that I have seen of additions to the seder plate, items to highlight and include stories and histories that are not, at least explicitly, part of the Passover seder. On its surface, it is a noble goal — why shouldn’t we consider the plight of Ukrainians in spring 2023 (sunflowers), or remem...

  • A Jewish prayer for the start of this pandemic school year

    Rabbi Sari Laufer|Sep 4, 2020

    Scrolling through all the open Safari windows on my phone is like a virtual tour through the months of this pandemic. It starts in the early spring with online gardening tips, funny memes about the shift to virtual schooling, and recipes for banana bread, cookies, and Marzipan bakery's legendary rugelach (though I still haven't tackled that one). Then there are long-form reads about grief and loss, data-driven pieces about decision making, and funny memes about doomscrolling. And now, as we...