Sacred Intentions

Rabbi Lori Forman–Jacobi is the director of The Jewish Resource Center of UJA-Federation of New York. She was ordained by The Jewish Theological Seminary in 1988 and was a member of the first rabbinical school class to include women. She is the mother of two children, Maya and Eitan.Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky, named one of the fifty leading rabbis in North America by Newsweek, is well known for his inspiring books that bring the Jewish wisdom tradition into everyday life. He is executive director of Big Tent Judaism, formerly Jewish Outreach Institute, and is author of many books on Jewish spirituality, healing and Jewish religious practice, including Making a Successful Jewish Interfaith Marriage: The Big Tent Judaism Guide to Opportunities, Challenges and Resources; Introducing My Faith and My Community: The Jewish Outreach Institute Guide for a Christian in a Jewish Interfaith Relationship; Jewish Paths toward Healing and Wholeness: A Personal Guide to Dealing with Suffering; Grief in Our Seasons: A Mourner's Kaddish Companion; Twelve Jewish Steps to Recovery: A Personal Guide to Turning from Alcoholism & Other Addictions—Drugs, Food, Gambling, Sex...; Facing Cancer as a Family; Life's Daily Blessings: Inspiring Reflections on Gratitude for Every Day, Based on Jewish Wisdom; 100 Blessings Every Day: Daily Twelve Step Recovery Affirmations, Exercises for Personal Growth and Renewal Reflecting Seasons of the Jewish Year and Recovery from Codependance: A Jewish Twelve Step Guide to Healing Your Soul. He is also coauthor of Grandparenting Interfaith Grandchildren; Jewish Holidays: A Brief Introduction for Christians; Jewish Ritual: A Brief Introduction for Christians; Renewed Each Day, Vol. One—Genesis and Exodus: Daily Twelve Step Recovery Meditations; Renewed Each Day, Vol. Two—Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy: Daily Twelve Step Recovery Meditations Based on the Bible and coeditor of The Rituals and Practices of a Jewish Life: A Handbook for Personal Spiritual Renewal (all Jewish Lights).Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky is available to speak on the following topics:The Jewish Twelve Step Path to Healing and RecoverySparks Beneath the Surface: A Spiritual Read on the TorahWelcoming the Stranger in Our MidstHow to Nurture Jewish Grandchildren Being Raised in an Interfaith FamilyOptimism for a Jewish FutureClick here to contact the author.

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"Prayer is speech in its purest form. It is our heart speaking in its own way, in its own voice, just as it needs to."—Rabbi Amy Eilberg “Keep this treasure by the bed.”—Jewish Family Times “The wilderness is not just a desert through which we wandered for forty years. It is a way of being. A place that demands being open to the flow of life around you.”—Rabbi Lawrence Kushner “Perhaps one of the greatest of miracles is believing that there are miracles at all and that they still happen, even if we never know for sure.”—Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin