Full Description
A young Lutheran girl grows up on Long Island, New York. She aspires to be a doctor, and is on the fast track to marriage and the conventional happily-ever-after. But, as the Yiddish saying goes, "Man plans, and God laughs." Meet Andrea Myers, whose coming-of-age at Brandeis, conversion to Judaism, and awakening sexual identity make for a rich and well-timed life in the rabbinate.
In The Choosing, Myers fuses heartwarming anecdotes with rabbinic insights and generous dollops of humor to describe what it means to survive and flourish on your own terms. Portioned around the cycle of the Jewish year, with stories connected to each of the holidays, Myers draws on her unique path to the rabbinate--leaving behind her Christian upbringing, coming out as a lesbian, discovering Judaism in college, moving to Israel, converting, and returning to New York to become a rabbi, partner, and parent.
Myers relates tales of new beginnings, of reinventing oneself, and finding oneself. Whether it's a Sicilian grandmother attempting to bake hamantaschen on Purim for her Jewish granddaughter, or an American in Jerusalem saving a chicken from slaughter during a Rosh Hashanah ritual, Myers keeps readers entertained as she reflects that spirituality, goodness, and morality can and do take many forms. Readers will enthusiastically embrace stories of doors closing and windows opening, of family and community, of integration and transformation. These captivating narratives will resonate and, in the author's words, "reach across coasts, continents, and generations."
Contents
Preface and Acknowledgments
Author's Note
Prologue
1. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: Bird in Hand
2. The Secular New Year: Happy New Year
3. The New Year for Trees: The Lance and the Twig
4. The New Years for Animals: Because No One Is Allergic to Butterflies
5. Sukkot: Wild Turkey
6. Chanukah: Miller Light
7. Purim: Surprise Endings
8. Passover: I'll Be Home for Pesach
9. Lag B'Omer: The Work of the Chariot
10. Shavuot: Take Two Tablets
11. Tisha B'Av: Broken Sound
12. Elul: Hit-or-Mitzvah
13. Purim Katan: Customs and Gratuities Included
