Wafers

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My father and I used to go door-to-door delivering wafers in a tiny gold case. I imagined my father gave me this job to make me feel special when all of the older kids went to school. When they disappeared behind the doors of St. Mark’s School with their starched uniforms and shiny pencil cases, I felt left out. As a remedy, my father quickly got me started in the business of delivering communion to neighborhood elders. Continue Reading

Concerts and march to celebrate golden jubilee of Phillips neighborhood’s historic St. Paul’s Church

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Marching from their old building to their new site on March 22, 1964, St. Paul’s Church committed themselves to the Phillips Neighborhood. Seven years before, St. Paul’s Church had faced its biggest decision. They learned that the projected I-94 freeway was going to take their building. The congregation had been located at 18th Street and 14th Avenue South. A decision had to be made. Would they, like hundreds of congregations in Minneapolis’ core city, move to the suburbs, or would they stay in the city? Already they had members living in Bloomington, Richfield, St. Louis Park and Plymouth. Moving to the outskirts of the city might make sense. In a crucial meeting, one sentence was uttered that would determine the future of the congregation: “Where is a church more needed than here?”

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How to be Jewish on Purim

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Let’s get something out of the way immediately: I’m a convert to Judaism. I can give you a dozen Christmas cookie recipes and tips and tricks on dying Easter eggs with homemade vegetable dyes, but I have no idea how to be Jewish; that is, I have no idea how to create Jewish culture. I wonder if culture is even something one can make. Continue Reading