Kabbalah of the Month

Melinda Ribner

Melinda (Mindy) Ribner, L.C.S.W. is a spiritual psychotherapist and healer in private practice (Kabbal of the Heart). She is a teacher of Jewish meditation and Kabbalah for over 25 years. Author of Kabbalah Month by Month, New Age Judaism, and Everyday Kabbalah, she is also the founder and director of Beit Miriam (Beitmiriam). She can be reached by email at Miriam@kabbalahoftheheart.com.

The Roads from Babel

Seth Ben-Mordechai

An attorney and Semitic linguist with degrees from Brandeis, Stanford and Univ. of Calif., Seth Watkins (pen name, Ben-Mordecai) merges linguistic analysis with legal sleuthing to uncover lost meanings of ancient texts. His Exodus Haggadah uniquely includes the full story of the Exodus in an accessible format. Email: Seth@VayomerPublishing.com.

Jewish Educator

Amy Hirshberg Lederman

Lederman is an award winning author, Jewish educator, public speaker and attorney who lives in Tucson. Visit her website at amyhirshberglederman.com.

Shipley Speaks

Jim Shipley

Jim Shipley has had careers in broadcasting, distribution, advertising, and telecommunications. He began his working life in radio in Philadelphia. He has written his JPO column for 20 years and is director of Trading Wise, an international trade and marketing company in Orlando, Fla.

Musings from Shiloh

Batya Medad

Batya Medad is a veteran American olah, immigrant in Israel. She and her husband made aliyah in 1970 and have been in Shiloh since 1981. She's a wife, mother, grandmother, EFL Teacher, writer and photographer. She has two active blogs, ShilohMusings.blogspot and Me-Ander.blogspot, besides having established the Kosher Cooking Carnival; details on me-ander. You can contact her at shilohmuse@yahoo.com.

Media Watch

Rabbi Elliot Gertel

Rabbi Gertel has been spiritual leader of Conservative Congregation Rodfei Zedek since 1988. A native of Springfield, Mass., he attended Columbia University and Jewish Theological Seminary. He is the author of two books, What Jews Know About Salvation and Over the Top Judaism: Precedents and Trends in the Depiction of Jewish Beliefs and Observances in Film and Television. He has been media critic for The National Jewish Post & Opinion since 1979.

Funsmith

Bernie DeKoven

DeKoven helps people make things more fun: work, school, games (of course), marriage, parenthood, exercise, healing, toys, recovery, retirement, life... He does this by helping people look at things from a fun perspective, which usually turns out to be something people under stress would never think of. And he happens to know a lot about this particular perspective. Read more about him on Deepfun.com or email him at bernie@majorfun.com.

Jewish Theater

Ilene Backalenick

Theater critic Irene Backalenick covers theater for national and regional publications. She has a Ph.D. in theater criticism from City University Graduate Center. Her book East Side Story - Ten Years with the Jewish Repertory Theatre won a first-place national book award in history. She welcomes comments at IreneBack@sbcglobal.net and invites you to visit her website: nytheaterscene.com or at: jewish-theatre.com.

Parsha Perspective

For Young People

Rabbi Moshe ben Asher - Khulda bat Sarah

Rabbi Moshe ben Asher and his wife Magidah Khulda bat Sarah are the codirectors of Gather the People (Gatherthepeople.org), which provides online resources for congregational community development and organizing.

Spoonful of Humor

Ted Roberts

Ted Roberts, a Rockower Award winner, is a syndicated Jewish columnist who looks at Jewish life with rare wit and insight. His inspiration is his patient wife, Shirley. Check out his Web site: WonderWordWorks.com. His collected works The Scribbler on The Roof can be bought at Amazon.com or Lulu.com.

Wiener's Wisdom

Rabbi Irwin Wiener, D.D.

Rabbi Irwin Wiener is spiritual leader of the Sun Lakes Jewish Congregation near Phoenix, Ariz. He welcomes comments at ravyitz@cox.net.

Jewish America

Howard W. Karsh

Howard W. Karsh lives and writes in Milwaukee, Wisc. His e-mail is howkar@wi.rr.com.

Jewish Scholar

Jacob Neusner

Jacob Neusner is Distinguished Service Professor of the History and Theology of Judaism and Senior Fellow, Institute of Advanced Theology at Bard College Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y.

As I Heard It

Morton Gold

Dr. Gold is a composer, conductor, pianist and retired educator and may be reached at: 6 Webster Street, Springvale, Maine 04083 or by email at drmortongold@yahoo.com.

Kosher Kuisine

Seen on the Israel Scene

Sybil Kaplan

Sybil Kaplan is a journalist, book reviewer, food columnist and feature writer who moved from Overland Park, Kan., to Jerusalem in September 2008.

Holocaust Educator

Miriam L. Zimmerman

Dr. Miriam L. Zimmerman is professor emerita at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, Calif. She can be reached at mzimmerman@ndnu.edu

Jews by Choice

Mary Hofmann

Mary Hofmann welcomes comments at: P.O. Box 723, Merced, CA 95340; Mhofwriter@aol.com.

An Observant Eye

Rabbi Avi Shafran

Rabbi Shafran is director of public affairs for Agudath Israel of America.