Shabbat Gathering: Useful / fun newsletters.

Brian D. Johnson

11 Apr 2025 • 7 min read

Gud Shabbos Khaveyrim, as is our custom, we will gather tonight at 5.45p ct to welcome Shabbat. These are the coordinates:

Zoom
Meeting ID: 883 8469 4181
Password: 822665
Phone: +1 312 626 6799

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Here we go.

First and foremost, I was raised to be a journalist. Part of my disposition for journalism is my persistent need to know what’s going on whether it’s news or opinion. But as I’ve written here before, I have a habit of reading too much news and getting emotionally dragged down by that and it’s especially true since the election. I’ve cut back on reading the news, but I still have my nose in the news too much of the time.

I’m very selective about where I get my news in general and where I get my Jewish news in particular. I have a well curated library of newsletters I follow that keep me up-to-date. Many a time I have "borrowed" ideas from these newsletters and some of the newsletters are constant fodder for the PSs of the newsletter. Below are some of the newsletters I read and what the newsletters say about themselves.

An idiosyncratic list.

Etz hi. From the newsletter: “etz hi is a project exploring the torah of diaspora, queerness, and recovery through weekly divrei torah and zines. … etz hi is written by ada morse, a queer jewish teacher with roots in rural america. her writing has been published in siddur davar chadash and siddur tatir tz’rurah. she teaches and studies at shel maala yeshiva.”

Gashimius Magazine: Towards a Progressive neo-Hasidism. From the newsletter: “Gashmius Magazine is a project of a few friends who deeply believe in the combined power of Jewish mysticism and progressive politics to change the world.”

Liana Wertman - Torah Studio From the newsletter: “Liana first fell in love with Torah at the Shabbat dinner table, hearing and discussing the stories with her family. Currently, Liana runs The Torah Studio from her home in Los Angeles, where you can also find her making pottery, creating art with yarn, or getting ready for Shabbat.”

Weird Jewish Digest From the newsletter: “I send out an email every month with some information about, well, the jewish calendar month; a picture of a jewish person’s pet(s); and in between links to some cool articles and things, including some online events. I have Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Romaniote heritage; I’m queer and nonbinary (they/them) and disabled; I like relatively traditional observance but don’t view halacha as binding; and I am not a zionist.”

Halachic Left From the newsletter: “Just under one year ago, a group of left-wing, religiously-observant Jews met up in the basement of a bar on the Upper West Side. The event, birthed from furtive kiddush conversations, had ballooned into a panel discussion attended by fifty people. We took frantic notes as Peter Beinart opened up about navigating his religious life as an open critic of Israel. The energy in the room was palpable. For many of us, it was the first time we had a space to bring those two identities together and navigate the many complex ways they intersect. We could feel a new community being born.”

Tablet Magazine From the newsletter: "As a reader, you know our work: Deeply reported, carefully written, scrupulously edited original coverage and analysis of Israel and the Middle East, Jewish life across the country and world, and the famous writers, academics, and cultural controversies that animate Jewish life and history. The Jewish world needs a place like Tablet where varying—even conflicting—viewpoints can exist side by side. Our times demand an engagement with big ideas and not a retreat from them."

Life is a Sacred Text - R. Danya Rutenberg From the newsletter: “Space to say true things, with ancient stories serving as mirrors and lights.” From Wikipedia: “Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg is the author of the National Jewish Book Award-winning On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unrepentant World (Beacon), also an American Library Association Sophie Brody Honor Medal winner. …”

Kveller- From the newsletter: "Jewish culture, motherhood, news, self, pregnancy, baby names."

The Forward - From the newsletter: “Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily, the Forward soon became a national paper, the most widely read Jewish newspaper anywhere. By the 1920s its circulation outstripped The New York Times. It chronicled the events that affected a population of immigrants eager to earn their place in American life, and published regional editions around the country before any other newspaper.”

My Jewish Learning - “My Jewish Learning is all about empowering Jewish discovery for anyone interested in learning more. We offer thousands of articles, videos and other resources to help you navigate all aspects of Judaism and Jewish life — from food to history to beliefs and practices.”

Rabbi Sandra Lawson - From the newsletter: “A rabbi blending tradition with modernity through words, music, and inspiration.” From Wikipedia: “Sandra Lawson (born 1970) is an American rabbi and the first director of Racial Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Reconstructing Judaism. She previously served as Associate Chaplain for Jewish Life at Elon University. Lawson became the first openly gay, female, and black rabbi in the world in 2018. She is a veteran, vegan, sociologist, personal trainer, food activist, weightlifter, author and musician.”

Racehl Barenblat - Rabbi, poet, blogger. (One of Rabbi Laurie’s favorites.) From Wikipedia: “Rachel Barenblat, the 'Velveteen Rabbi,' is an American poet and rabbi. She was ordained as a rabbi in 2011. In 2013 she was named a Rabbis Without Borders fellow by Clal, the Center for Learning and Leadership, and in 2015 was named co-chair of ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal along with Rabbi David Markus. In 2016, The Forward named her one of America's most inspiring rabbis.”

There are many, many more Jewish newsletters around and I encourage you, if you are so inclined, to find one or two that are a good fit for you.

And may it be for all of us a blessing.

See you tonight!
Mit vareme grusn,
(With warm regards,)

and...

A Freilichen Pesach
Happy Passover

All my love,
brian.