JoinedJuly 14, 2014
Articles68
Yocheved Sidof is a writer, educator, speaker and social entrepreneur. After a decade as filmmaker and phorographer, in 2010, she founded a grassroots, progressive Chassidic school, Lamplighers Yeshivah, that gained international acclaim. She's a mom of five, just-getting-started meditator, avid dreamer, and willful doer. Stop by and say hi if you're in Crown Heights.
Somehow, raising money seemed liked a dirty business. From unkempt Rabbis, to overly-excitable telethon hosts, to how-to sessions for spiritual leaders, asking for money seemed disingenuous. And then -- it became my world.
I don't like to pray-- at least not the kind of prayer that involves a prayerbook. Maybe its too regimented. Maybe I’m not disciplined enough. Or maybe I just never learnt how to pray.
I am eight years old, lying in my parents bed. In another room, my parents are arguing. I drift away feeling this was all my fault. That somehow, I am responsible for the pain and rage around me. That somehow, I have to fix things. That somehow, I am only lovable if I am perfect. It's a heavy, heavy burden to bear. And now I am a mother of four, still bearing this weight.
My youngest brother always had a spacial place in my heart. I watched him grow through years of yeshiva and then, little by little, as his relationship with Orthodox Judaism shifted and morphed into something that belongs to only him and G-d.
From Rabbis to community leaders to philanthropists, it seems we are enamored with outreach and the unaffiliated Jew. Yet, I ask myself: What about those that are already on the 'inside,' practicing Judaism? Are they getting the same care and opportunity? And whose responsibility are they?
We are all leaders, ready to shine our light through the thick darkness. So to my fellow revolutionaries I say: this is not just about abuse, sex, or power- there’s more.
The story of why, and how, Yocheved founded a school called Lamplighters-- and what keeps it going strong.
The days of black and white definitions are gone. We are colorful, dynamic and full of texture -- and our connection to Gd defies all bins.
It was my last learning session with my kallah teacher, the woman who was responsible to teach me all the intricate laws of taharat hamishpachah and marital intimacy– from menstruation to mikvah to the act itself. On this day, the topic was my wedding night. I had purposefully chosen this...
Something changed for our family as we experienced terror and went from the fourth night of Chanukah, to the fifth.
