Michael Jackman, Writer

It’s Christmas season again. Time to republish this essay, newly revised this year. – mj
Each year for Christmas Santa brings me a dilemma: How should I, a follower of the six-pointed star rather than the cross, reply to the endless stream of “Merry Christmas” wishes?
Scenario: It’s December 20 and I’m at my local walk-in hair [...]

“You can’t run away from [adversity]. You do what you have to do, no matter what it takes, as long as it’s honest.” – David Loeb Kahn (David Loeb ben Natan v’ Frieda Leah)

In honor of David Loeb Kahn, my wife’s beloved grandfather, I’m reposting here three pieces I wrote about his life for his [...]

(First published in the United Synagogue Review, Fall 2005. © 2005 Michael Jackman. All Rights Reserved.)

Picture this: you’re the child or grandchild of eastern European immigrants. Their musical, lilting Yiddish-derived syntax sounds quaint to your young ears. Today, you might put it this way: it’s almost as if Star War’s inscrutable green guru, Yoda were [...]

(Jewish News of Greater Phoenix, July 14, 2006/Tamuz 18 5766, Volume 58, No. 42)
While Jewish denominations differ in their emphasis on performing the 613 mitzvot, it’s a given that b’nai mitzvah ceremonies should foster commitment to the fundamental obligations of being a Jew
Having bar and bat mitzvah candidates prepare a “mitzvah project” – a task [...]

First published in the Jewish Federation of Louisville’s Community, September 2, 2005. Available for Reprint. © 2005 Michael Jackman, All Rights Reserved
My ketuba, decorated with a border of blue and red flowers, sits prominently in the living room. Nearby, a glass shelf displays a silver and gold kiddish cup inscribed with our names: Mikha’ayl ben [...]

(First published in the Jewish Federation of Louisville’s Community, March 18, 2005. © 2005 Michael Jackman, All Rights Reserved)
For those who observe prohibitions against using electricity on Shabbas, new, sophisticated electronic stoves, ovens, and refrigerators just don’t work the way they used to. It’s not like the old days when Bubbe, to keep the refrigerator [...]

(First published in the Jewish Federation of Louisville’s Community, February 18, 2005. © 2005 Michael Jackman)
For most parents, preparing a child for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah is just another of many coming-of-age stresses. But for parents whose children have special needs, the stress can be almost unbearable. Yet arranging B’nai Mitzvah ceremonies for such [...]

JewishJournal.com
The rose-colored glasses often worn by couples headed for the bimah can easily hide some relationship blemishes. So when the glasses come off after the honeymoon, the new vision of the future can be a bit shocking. Before you take that long trip down the aisle, you might want to make a short trip to [...]

(First published in the United Synagogue Review (Spring ’05 issue) © 2004 Michael Jackman. All Rights Reserved.)
As Passover approached two years ago, Pastor Lamont Settle decided it was time to explain the Jewish Holy Day to his flock.
“I wanted people to understand…why it is so important that God reminds us of the experience of being [...]

(First published in the Jewish Federation of Louisville’s Community, October 15, 2004. Available for Reprint. © 2004 Michael Jackman. With two photos and sidebar, “Any size, but at least three walls: What every Sukkah needs”)When Steve and Sharon Berger planned to renovate their kitchen and add a deck last year, they decided the new design [...]