Jewish Wellbeing
Here is a new piece I wrote about the Jewish roots of “Wellbeing” over at Medium: View at Medium.com
How Jewish Educators Can Address the Youth Mental Health Crisis
How Jewish educators can address the youth mental health crisis OPINION HARNESSING JUDAISM How Jewish educators can address the youth mental health crisis By Rabbi Daniel S. Brenner July 13, 2023 SHARE If you have worked with teens at any time during the past three years, then you have probably heard a colleague say something like: “The ninth graders have the emotional maturity of seventh graders.” JORDAN CASSWAY/MOVING TRADITIONS I heard these words recently from a seasoned Jewish educator over…
Davidson Graduate School of Education – JTS
Gleanings, the online journal of the Davidson Graduate School of Education, profiled Rabbi Daniel Brenner for their latest issue. Where Judaism and Relationship Skills Meet: Daniel Brenner “Being teen-focused doesn’t mean giving up on Jewish literacy, it just means you have to start with the teens,” said Rabbi Daniel Brenner, vice president for education at Moving Traditions. For the past 11 years, Brenner has worked at Moving Traditions, whose mission is “to embolden Jewish youth to thrive through the pursuit of…
Channel 12 News Interview
Zhane Caldwell, channel 12 news reporter, interviews me about “Bowl Hashannah” and the meaning of the Jewish new year. Side-note: Zhane was a total professional – she took the time to ask me about the holiday, the rituals, the way that people celebrate, and the spiritual significance – it was a delight to meet her and speak with her. Thank you Channel 12 Brooklyn!
The Importance of Teaching Consent and Boundary-Setting
https://forward.com/opinion/503618/unless-we-teach-consent-sexual-assault-at-jewish-summer-camps-continue/
Chag Purim!
Playing on stage with the Phish tribute band Uncle Ebeneezer for the Because Jewish Purim party. So fun.
How Jews Move Their Hands
Psalm 28:2 Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You for help, When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary. I had the pleasure of speaking with Adva Chattler, host of Recon Connect, an educational project of Reconstructing Judaism. The format is a short ‘beit midrash’ (study hall) style teaching and I spoke about gesture and hand movements in Jewish life over the course of the last 3,500 years. The video is live on Vimeo….
The Yedid Nefesh Project
What is the Yedid Nefesh Project? A collective of musicians who are singer/songwriters/composers who will study together and create new music that is inspired by the 15th century mystical poem known as Yedid Nefesh – “Beloved of My Soul” Who came up with this idea? This project was born from a conversation between two rabbis (Daniel Brenner and Elliot Tepperman) that happened in a Thai restaurant. The conversation was inspired, in part, by the work of Hazmana L’piyut (www.piyut.org.il) an…
Purim for Kids! A Pre-School Megillah (The Book of Esther) for 2-4 year olds!
Author’s note: This short re-telling was developed when I had the wonderful pleasure of being part of a Purim celebration at Brooklyn Bowl with the Phish cover band Uncle Ebenezer and a group of actors from The Rock and Roll Playhouse. A sold-out crowd of 300 plus folks (kudos to Mike and Wendi at Because Jewish!) danced along to the story and watched four costumed actors pantomiming the parts of the King, Vashti, Esther, Haman, and Mordecai. In the city…
Punk Rock
I was a skinny Jewish kid in Charlotte, North Carolina spazzing out in the middle of a mosh-pit at the Milestone Club as The Dead Milkmen sang about a bitchin’ Camaro. I have always loved the DIY ethos of punk and when my friend Dewar Macleod, A.K.A. the professor of punk, frontman for the beloved New Jersey punk band Thee Volatiles, asked my friend Debra Caplan and I to add a Hannukah song to his punk rock Christmas album, we were…